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Rainwater harvesting

Rainwater harvesting design and installation

TerraSetu designs and builds rooftop rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge systems: filter chambers, recharge pits and recharge bores. We work across Delhi NCR from our base in Gurugram, for houses, builder floors, housing societies, schools, offices and factories, and we repair old systems that have stopped working. Every job comes with a drawing and a bill of quantities priced item by item.

Reviewed by Mohit Parmar, Civil Engineer, TerraSetu · Last checked

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What we build

ForWhat it usually needsSee
Houses and builder floorsOne recharge point in the setback, with a filter on the downpipesCost by plot size in Gurgaon
Housing societiesAn audit and repair of old pits, new points where needed, and yearly cleaningRainwater harvesting for societies
Factories, warehouses and campusesA recharge proposal for groundwater permission, desilting chambers, several pits and boresRainwater harvesting for factories
Schools and CSR projectsRecharge pits as part of a school building or water projectSchool buildings
Dry borewellsA recharge bore next to the borewell, or a failed borewell turned into oneBorewell recharge

How the water travels, from roof to aquifer

Rain on your roof runs to the downpipe. The first-flush diverter throws away the dirtiest first rain, the filter chamber cleans the rest, and the clean water goes into the recharge pit and down the bore to the water-bearing layer. Any extra overflows to the drain.

Flow diagram of a rainwater harvesting system: roof, downpipe, first-flush diverter, filter chamber of gravel, charcoal and sand, recharge pit with an overflow to the drain, and a bore down to the water-bearing layer
The complete flow, from roof to aquifer, not to scale.

The standard design we build

Every recharge point we build follows this design. Roof water passes a first-flush diverter that throws away the dirtiest first rain, then a filter chamber, and enters a brick-lined pit filled with boulders, gravel and coarse sand. At the bottom of the pit it goes into a slotted pipe wrapped in mesh, rising to a removable cap at the cover, down a sealed casing to the water-bearing layer your borewell draws from. The drawing below shows the pit and the pipe connection.

The drawing and the bill of quantities below are what you receive before work starts, sized for your roof after the survey. Check them against any other quote line by line.

Section drawing of a 2 m by 2 m by 2.5 m recharge pit with coarse sand, gravel and boulders. A pipe runs from a removable cap at the cover down through the layers, slotted and wrapped in mesh where it passes the sand, gravel and boulders, is sealed with clay or cement grout below the pit, continues as plain 150 mm casing, and ends in a slotted section in the water-bearing layer. A close-up shows the slots, mesh and cap.
Our standard recharge point, in section, not to scale. The bore depth shown is typical; sizes and depth are fixed for each site after the survey.

Sample bill of quantities for one recharge point in Delhi NCR

ItemQuantityAmount before GST
Recharge pit 2 × 2 × 2.5 m: excavation, honeycomb brick lining, PCC base, RCC cover with manhole1 no.₹28,000 to ₹38,000
Pit media: boulders, gravel and coarse sand in layers1 pit₹8,000 to ₹12,000
Recharge bore, 150 mm, with slotted PVC casing (₹300 to ₹500 a foot)120 ft₹36,000 to ₹60,000
Filter chamber: gravel, charcoal and sand1 no.₹12,000 to ₹20,000
Downpipe connections, mesh guards, first-flush diverter and overflow1 lot₹8,000 to ₹15,000
Total before GST₹92,000 to ₹1.4 lakh
Total with 18% GST₹1.1 lakh to ₹1.7 lakh

Civil work at the CPWD Delhi Schedule of Rates 2023 plus 10%, the rest at market rates, with a 120 ft bore. A bigger roof needs more pits, but one filter and pipe set can serve several. Price your own roof with the recharge pit calculator.

What a full system costs

Priced with 120 ft recharge bores, typical for most of NCR, and 721 mm of rain a year. For any district in India, see its rainwater harvesting cost page.

BuildingRoof areaRecharge pointsWater put back a yearCost with GST
Independent house100 m² (1,076 sq ft)161,285 litres₹1.1 lakh to ₹1.7 lakh
Large house or villa250 m² (2,691 sq ft)11,53,213 litres₹1.1 lakh to ₹1.7 lakh
Small apartment block or office600 m² (6,458 sq ft)33,67,710 litres₹3.1 lakh to ₹4.8 lakh
Housing society, school or factory2,000 m² (21,528 sq ft)812,25,700 litres₹8 lakh to ₹12 lakh

Ranges for budgeting, with filter chamber, pit, media, bore and piping. A site survey fixes the design and the price.

The rules in NCR

  • Haryana (Gurgaon, Faridabad): Under the Haryana Building Code, 2017, roof rainwater harvesting is required inside the plot wherever the rooftop area is 100 sq m or more. Recharge is mandatory for all building types, including group housing on plots over 500 sq m, and for common open areas such as parks and parking. DTCP has made RWH pits a condition for the occupation certificate. See the Haryana rules.
  • Delhi: In Delhi, every new building on a plot of 100 sq m or more must have a rainwater harvesting system, and building plans are not sanctioned without one. Delhi Jal Board withholds new water connections until RWH is certified. Properties of 500 sq m or more without RWH pay a penalty of 1.5 times the water bill, and those with a working system get a 10% rebate on the water bill. See the Delhi rules.
  • Uttar Pradesh (Noida, Ghaziabad): Uttar Pradesh requires rainwater harvesting in government buildings and in new buildings above 300 sq m, including group housing and housing schemes. In October 2025 the Chief Minister directed that it be made mandatory for all buildings above 100 sq m, in both urban and rural areas. The implementing bye-law amendment was not confirmed. See the Uttar Pradesh rules.

Where we work

Gurgaon, Delhi, Faridabad and Noida, and on larger jobs across Haryana and North India. In Gurgaon we have separate pages for houses and builder floors, housing societies and factories in Manesar and Udyog Vihar.

Check the numbers for your area

Frequently asked questions

How much does rainwater harvesting cost?

For a house with a 100 m² roof in NCR, about ₹1.1 lakh to ₹1.7 lakh with GST for one recharge point with a 120 ft bore. Larger roofs need more points; see the table above.

What is the difference between a recharge pit and a storage tank?

A storage tank keeps roof water for use, and is full after the first few rains. A recharge pit sends the water into the ground all season, which is what NCR's rules ask for and what helps borewells. Some buildings, especially where water is shallow, use both.

How deep should the recharge bore be?

Deep enough to reach below the water table: about 60 ft where water is shallow, 120 ft in most of NCR, 200 ft or more where it is deep. See your district on the water table pages.

Do you repair old rainwater harvesting systems?

Yes. We desilt pits, replace the filter media, flush or re-drill the recharge bore and add a silt trap, and give you a report with photos for your records.

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