7 June 2019

Dr. Rajiv Kumar

Vice Chairman, Niti Aayog
Sansad Marg
New Delhi – 110 001
Vch-niti@gov.in

Subject: Twenty-one cities in India will run out of groundwater by 2020 – who is
responsible for this grave situation? Where are the remedial measures?

Dear Dr. Rajiv Kumar:

I read with interest the Niti Aayog report on water management in India according to which at
least twenty-one cities in India will run out of groundwater by 2020 – who is responsible for this
grave situation? What remedial measures are being taken by the states? It’s time Niti Aayog put
its foot down to set some timebound goals for states.

A politician thinks about next election, a statesman thinks about next generation.
- J. Clarke

I hope at least the Niti Aayog would act like a statesman. I would like to share my experience on
a revolutionary technique of rainwater harvesting with porous asphalt parking lots and streets
integrated with building rooftops. This is definitely one of the tools we must implement right
away in cities and towns of India to alleviate the grave situation we have right now.

I had the privilege of being involved in the development of the porous asphalt technology by the
Franklin Institute of Philadelphia, USA during the 1970s. At that time, I was working as the
Chief Asphalt Road Engineer of the State of Pennsylvania. Thousands of successful parking lots
have been constructed with porous asphalt technology in the US since early 1980s. Over 95% of
rainwater falling on porous asphalt goes to recharge the groundwater. Moreover, the rainwater
from adjacent buildings rooftops can also be diverted to the porous asphalt pavement. Ideally,
new urban streets which do not carry heavy truck traffic can be made with porous asphalt which
can be integrated with the rooftops of buildings on both sides.

Therefore, this is one of the highly potential and proven rainwater harvesting technologies for
urban areas to increase the level of groundwater. We must make it mandatory that all future
parking lots and streets in urban areas (including building developments which are springing up
all across urban India) should be made with porous asphalt. This can only happen if the Niti
Aayog directs (mandates) the concerned state authorities to implement it. As citizen of India, I
have tried my best to no avail, which is evident as follows.

India’s one and only porous asphalt parking lot test section for rainwater harvesting was
constructed by the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) at Gandhi Nagar Railway Station in
2012. On my persistence, Shri Kuldip Ranka, the then JDA Commissioner approved its
construction. I put in a lot of hours’ voluntary effort in designing and supervising its

1
construction. This unique parking lot has worked efficiently during the last several monsoons. Its
efficiency was tested on completion with a water tanker. A one-minute video uploaded by me
about its superb efficiency can be seen at the following internet link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_0nACS7wB4

Many people across India who are interested in rainwater harvesting technology have come to
Jaipur to see this project. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in Delhi has also
publicized this project. The Indian Roads Congress has also published my technical paper which
gives the nuts and bolts of how this project was designed and constructed and also the general
guidelines for building porous asphalt pavements. This paper can be downloaded at the following
link:

https://www.scribd.com/doc/213838512/Design-Construction-and-Performance-of-Porous-
Asphalt-Pavement-in-India-for-Rainwater-Harvesting

Over the years I have made numerous presentations on this technology to several organizations
in India such as CSE, architects, underground water boards, state water management workshops,
colleges, universities, etc. Unfortunately, it has fallen on deaf ears. After serving in the US for
over 30 years, I am now settled in Jaipur. I am willing to provide voluntary technical assistance
in the implementation of this wonderful technology in urban India on a wide scale. This would
go a long way in raising the level of groundwater which is plunging at an alarming rate in many
states. Please let me know how I can be of any assistance. I hope you can begin to alleviate the
grave situation in 21 cities and also help other cities and towns across India.

Regards,

Prof. Prithvi Singh Kandhal

Karanpura House
50 Raj Bhawan Road
Civil Lines, Jaipur – 302 006
pkandhal@gmail.com
Homepage: www.eng.auburn.edu/users/kandhps

CC: Hon. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India

Hon. Amit Shah, Home Minister
Hon. Rajnath Singh, Defense Minister
Hon. Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister
Hon. N.S. Tomar, Minister for Rural Development
Hon. Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport
Hon. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Jal Shakti
Prof. Ramesh Chand, Member Niti Aayog
Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Member Niti Aayog
Dr. Vinod Kumar Paul, Member Niti Aayog