Youth Felicitated for Efforts in Climate Change and Water Conservation in Pune
Pune, 29th September 2025: Youth working on climate change and water conservation were honoured today in Pune by State Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil. The State-Level Water Conservation Excellence Awards Ceremony was organized at COEP Technological University, Shivajinagar, in collaboration with the Department of Higher and Technical Education, Government of Maharashtra, UNICEF Maharashtra, Aquadem, and the Centre for Environment Education (CEE).
Minister Patil lauded the contributions of colleges, teachers, and students in promoting water conservation. “Youth-led movements are vital for wider social change. Today’s young generation, inheritors of the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Mahatma Phule, are tackling challenges like climate change with scientific knowledge and concrete action. This is truly encouraging,” he said.
Youth Engagement and Water Stewardship (YEWS) Campaign
Since 2023, the Government of Maharashtra and UNICEF Maharashtra have been running the Youth Engagement and Water Stewardship (YEWS) campaign. Under this initiative, Green Clubs have been established in over 1,500 colleges across 13 districts, promoting water conservation at individual, institutional, and community levels.
Students have adopted practices such as repairing leaking taps, using buckets instead of showers for bathing, and minimizing water wastage while brushing. At the institutional level, initiatives include rainwater harvesting, soak pits, and recharge pits.
Since the campaign began in August 2023, approximately 791,000 students have changed their daily habits, collectively saving nearly 25.8 million cubic meters of water, data recorded through the Why Waste YEWS mobile app. In addition, the state government has launched a self-paced online course on climate change and water management via the MahaYouthNet portal, with 225,378 students enrolled and 131,291 successfully completing it.
Awards and Recognition
Based on evaluations for the academic year 2023–24, awards were presented in categories including Best Green Club, Best Poster on Water Conservation, and Best Short Video/Reel on Water Saving. A total of five state-level and three district-level awards were conferred.
Principals of selected colleges, Green Club faculty coordinators, and students attended the ceremony. Representatives from Ahilyanagar, Beed, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Dharashiv, Jalna, Kolhapur, Latur, Mumbai, Nagpur, Palghar, Pune, and Satara districts participated.
The initiative is jointly implemented by the Higher and Technical Education Department of Maharashtra, National Service Scheme (NSS), UNICEF Maharashtra, Aquadem, CEE, Why Waste, and the Youth Network.
