Water conservation and management policy of Mar Athanasius College of Engineering encompasses the policies, strategies and activities designed to manage water sustainably to meet current and future demands in the campus. Efficient water storage can be a viable solution to water conservation. This means that the College should take serious effort to protect the surrounding environment and available water resources. Regardless, as an institution of higher learning, Mar Athanasius college of Engineering shall have a moral responsibility to promote and propagate the message among the academic community and society as well. Over the past few years, the College has undertaken a number of initiatives to utilize water more efficiently and effectively within the campus. The policy includes awareness campaign for the protection of streams, rivers, ponds and land, study on climatic change, reaching out to the public through water-testing, and water literacy programmes, soil testing etc. Understanding relationships between environmental and societal factors and academia’s support for water conservation measures that can help planners and policy makers to identify obstacles and opportunities to increase the role of conservation and efficiency in making water supply systems sustainable. Student and staff play a major role in our water sustainability strategy. Reducing water consumption and protecting water quality shall be the key objectives of sustainable policy of MACE. The College views water from the three inter-related dimensions of Efficient Conservation, Responsible Consumption and Restoring and Retaining surface and recharging groundwater.
College encourages all its stakeholders to support policies and programmes for water conservation that would achieve:

• A sustainable balance between demand, management and reduce waste through accurate accounting of water volume.
• Water conservation education to all the stakeholders.
• Research and implementation of practices that promote efficient use of water.
• Coordination between water planning and other aspects of facility planning and management in association with local government body.

Initiatives of MACE

MACE is working towards making the facilities more and more water sustainable. This has been achieved with the use of water efficient fixtures, waste water treatment technologies and rain water harvesting.

• College is implementing new water efficient fixtures in its new constructions, ensuring 100% treatment and recycling of sewage, and rainwater harvesting.
• Upon realizing that rainwater harvesting is imperative for the future water requirement of the campus, college has set up a rainwater harvesting unit near the Alumni centre.
• Major part of the rainwater naturally penetrates the soil to filter into five ponds in the campus. Due to this process, campus has never faced water scarcity in any season. In addition, college campus has a facility to collect water to artificial pits near ponds, to filter into pond.
• College has a Sewage treatment plant (STP) in the Boy’s hostel premises which recycles the sewage to gardening-suitable water. This plant has an equalizer tank with two inlets – one from a biogas plant and another from sullage sources. The slurry from the biogas plant is directly treatable while the other slurry needs further processing. After treatments the two inlets give a comparable quality wastewater and merge together. After subsequent processing, clean water is generated. This processed water is used for watering gardens and cricket grounds.
• Ensuring improvement of the water and water depending natural resources at surrounding areas in the campus.
• Sewage treatment Plant: Sewage treatment Plant at New men’s hostel is working as per the rules and regulations of State pollution control board.
• Big dug well storage tank: College constructed a big dug well near PG block for rain water harvesting and recharging.
• Surface water conservation through ponds and wells: College campus is blessed with five natural wells.
• Cleaning initiative taken up for the ‘Kurur thodu’, a river flowing nearby.
• Cleaning of local ponds in connection with Ente Kulam cleaning drive initiated by district collector.
• M A College Association involved in ‘Kurur Thodu Protection Action Plan’ to safeguard the ‘Kurur thodu’ (a river) flowing on the rear side of the college campus. Students volunteers of NSS clean the river banks of every year in association with more than 40 educational institutions including schools, Dental colleges etc. in and around Kothamangalam.
• MACE NSS unit engaged in organic farming activities in the campus. Variety of vegetables and fruits are farming in 2 Acres of land. The name of this initiative is “Visha Rahitha Vishu”.

Goals and Plans

• Maximize water usage efficiency and minimize wastage of water.
• AII existing buildings to be used for water conservation and rain water harvesting.
• Promote investment in and maintenance of efficient water infrastructure and green infrastructure in all future development plans.
• Promote appropriate innovative water and wastewater management technologies and services.
• Provide training on the water conservation measures adopted by the college to all the students, staff and other stakeholders of the college and nearby community.
• Ensure awareness about the water conservation policy of the college among all the stakeholders.
• Establish waste water treatment and recycling centres.
• Create awareness about the cost-effectiveness of water conservation projects among students and local community.
• Improve water quality. For example, create awareness about garbage disposals among public and take the leadership to make Kothamangalm muncipality neat and clean.
• Recycle non-sewage and greywater for on-site use (such as toilet flushing, landscape irrigation, and more generally, considering the water quality requirements).
• Build relationship between environmental, societal leaders and policy makers to identify obstacles and opportunities to increase the role of conservation and efficiency in making the water supply systems sustainable.
• Community programmes: Organise various outreach programmes under the leadership of NSS, Boomithrasena and other student bodies.
• Encourage research, development and implementation of water conservation techniques in relation to the ecological needs and responses.
• Increase understanding of water and is movement including groundwater and its interaction with surface water, and the effects of climate change on water resources among student and teaching community.
• Inform, educate and increase awareness regarding the importance of water to life, and the need for conservation and efficient use of water.
• Protect the streams, ponds and rivers and the public area surrounding the college.