Rainwater harvesting

Rainwater harvesting is the collection and storage of rain from roofs or a surface catchments for future productive use. This method is used in many parts of the world, where there is enough rain for collection and conventional water resources either do not exist or are at risk of being over-used to supply a large population. Rainwater harvesting can provide lifeline water for human consumption. It helps to build reservoirs which may require the use of valuable land. It has been estimated that the amount of rain water that falls on the terrace of a house can take care of the water requirement of an average family of four members for one year. Traditionally, rainwater harvesting has been practiced in arid and semi-arid areas, and has provided drinking water, domestic water, water for livestock, water for small irrigation and a way to replenish ground water levels. This method may have been used extensively by the Indus Valley Civilization.

Traditional water harvesting Rainwater harvesting in urban areas Rainwater harvesting in urban areas can have manifold reasons. To provide supplemental water for the city's requirement, to increase soil moisture levels for urban greenery, to increase the ground water table through artificial recharge, to mitigate urban flooding and to improve the quality of groundwater are some of the reasons why rainwater harvesting can be adopted in cities. In urban areas of the developed world, at a household level, harvested rainwater can be used for flushing toilets and washing laundry. Indeed in hard water areas. It is superior to mains water for this. It can also be used for showering or bathing. As rainwater may be contaminated, it is not suitable for drinking without treatment. However, there are many examples of rainwater being used for all purposes including drinking following suitable treatment. The rainfall pattern in India is highly irregular in space and time. Most of it is concentrated during just a few months of the year and that too,

in a few regions - 70% of the rainfall occurs in about four months. So, even in a year of normal rainfall, some parts of the country face severe drought.

A Brief History of Water Harvesting in Our Country

India has had a tradition of water harvesting which is more than two millenia old. Evidence of this tradition has been found in ancient texts, inscriptions and archaeological remains. The Kuhals of Jammu, Kuls of Himachal Pradesh, Guls of UttarKhand, Pats of Maharashtra, Zings of Ladakh, Zabos of Nagaland, Eris of Tamilnadu, Keres of Karnataka, Tankas, Kundis, Bawdis, Jhalaras, etc. of Rajasthan are but a few of the traditional rain harvesting systems, which existed in India but now, dying a slow death. Thar desert of Rajasthan provides a unique example of water harvesting system. A rooftop water harvesting system is widely prevalent in Thar desert. Rain water that falls on the roof is taken through a pipe to an underground tank known as kundi. A kachha structure known as kui is dug next to the tank to collect the seepage. Since water is scarce, every drop must be preserved and used judiciously. At places people bathe on a stone block, from which water drains into an animal water tank.

Rain water harvesting method.

Rainwater harvesting is the collection of raindrops usually from a roof top.The rainwater collected from the roof flows through the gutters, into a collection tank. The size of the tank is dependant of the amount and purpose of the water but also of the annual rainfall and the size of the roof. A normal sized tank for a roof of 20 to 40 square metres is 10 cubic metres.

Required materials
A catchment area, usually a roof of 20 square metres or above is sufficient. Roof-gutters, those can consist of bent metal sheets or even large split bamboo 'tubes' Pipelines or gutters (bamboo, PVC, etc.) that lead from the roof- gutters to the storage tank. A storage tank; (between 5.000 and 12.000 litres) a concrete, a ferrocement or a bamboo- cement structure is recommendable for relyability and sturdyness. Do mind that a man-hole should be present for inside- cleaning purposes. The tank can be built both super- or sub-surface but consider that the outlet is situated at the bottom and must remain accessible. A vessel or a piece of garden-hose can be used to transport water from the storage tank to the slow sand filter. For the slow sand filter you need: a clean empty oil drum with a lid some 500 litres large, clean (river) sand in different, separate granulities, ranging from medium coarse (2-4 mm) to very fine (20-100 um), partially perforated tubing (garden hose), tap, three clean stones of appr. 15 cm diametre and a flat stone or tile of some 30 cm across