In a first, railways is set to build reservoirs in its bullet train depots to store rainwater which would be used in the maintenance of the high-speed trains, the NHSRCL, implementing agency for the project, said on Tuesday.
The move comes at a time when parts of the country are reeling under severe water crisis.
The railways' plan for its high-speed corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad is to create self-sufficient depots at Sabarmati and Surat in Gujarat and Thane in Mumbai so that water need not be sourced from outside.
"The water requirement of the depots will be met by the reservoirs made within the depot area. Rainwater will be fed into these reservoirs and treated through the treatment plants established in the depot. Recharge pits will also be made for recharging water back to the earth," said Sushma Gaur, spokesperson, National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), the implementing agency of the bullet train project.
All railway depots have rainwater harvesting pits to store water.
Generally, about 12,000 to 14,000 litres of water is used for cleaning one rake consisting of 22-24 rail coaches.
The Sabarmati depot will be the largest or the 'mother depot' with an area of about 80 hectares. It will have