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RAINWATER HARVESTING
The Barefoot College Experience

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RAIN WATER HARVESTING Why ? When ? How & Where ?
IN THE DESERTS IN THE MOUNTAINS

Has it been done ? Lessons Learnt !

3 10 13 16 30 36 41

Waiting for the Monsoon.

RAINWATER HARVESTING

WHY ?

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Why ?

Because water should never be wasted and allowed to flow out of any village or community facing a drinking water shortage.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Why ?

Because it costs less to collect rainwater than to exploit groundwater.

Drilling Rig for installing a hand pump.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Why ?

Because collecting rainwater is the only way of recharging water sources and revitalising dry open wells and dry hand pumps.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Why ?

Because it gives an opportunity for communities to come together and work closer. It allows for the decentralised control and community management of water.
Traditional open wells are communication channels in the village. With handpumps these gossip sessions are lost.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Why ?

Because traditional knowledge, skills and materials can be used to collect the water and no government technical assistance is required for repair and maintenance.
Barefoot Architects preparing to construct a rain water harvesting tank.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Why ?

Because it will provide productive employment to the rural poor in their own villages.
Barefoot Architects digging an underground tank in a primary school in Bhogadeet, a rocky area. Note traditional waterproofing techniques using lime, jaggery, gravel and methi dana or fenugreek seed.

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RAINWATER HARVESTING

WHEN ?

Rain Water Harvesting ~ When ?

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Rain water harvesting measures are essential when the ground water is brackish or has a high Iron or Flouride content.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ When ?

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Rain water harvesting measures should begin four months before the monsoon is to arrive.

A view of the Barefoot College from atop a nearby rock outcrop. These two photographs show what the land looks like before and after the monsoon.

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RAINWATER HARVESTING

WHERE & HOW ?

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & How ?

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Mountains Open Tank

School Hand Pump Open Well Desert

Underground Tank

Hand Pump Catchment Area

Rain water Rain water collected in an stored in underground tank. catchment areas recharging ground water.

Rain water stored in an open well recharging ground water.

Rain water collected in an underground tank in the mountains.

Catchment ponds for ground water recharge.

While it would normally take between 20-30 years for water to percolate 100 feet from an open tank, it has been noticed in an open well 300,000 litres can percolate to the same depth within a week.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & How ?

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How do underground tanks fill up ? 1. Rain water collects on rooftops. 2. This water is guided into overflow pipes. 3. These pipes connect to an underground tank.

3. Once the tank is full, the water can be accessed through simple means like a bucket or by installing a handpump.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & how ?

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IN THE DESERT

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & how ?

Overflow Pipes allowing precious water to go waste.

IN THE DESERT

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Name of village Number of children in school Topography Volume of the tank in feet Capacity Community Contribution Labour Material Total Cost Number who contributed labour Number of days contributed

MALION KI DHANI 87 Rocky area 20 x 8 x 8 32,000 Litres $ 50 $ 180 $ 460 $ 640 7 6

Handpump for accessing water. Pipes from the roof top leading to the underground tank.

Rainwater can be collected from the roofs of remote rural primary schools in underground tanks constructed by barefoot architects at a nominal cost with no repair or maintenance required.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & how ?

IN THE DESERT

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Before: rain water would drain away from roof tops and be wasted.

A tank being dug by barefoot architects with pipes connected to the rooftop.

The school with an underground water tank. Access by handpump.

All tank water is treated with Chlorine. Since the water is used constantly there is little fear of contamination or fungus. All tanks are fitted with handpumps. This helps to save water from being wasted. Labour Costs In areas where the soil is rocky the cost works out to $ 0.03 /litre In areas where the soil is hard the cost works out to $ 0.025/litre In areas of sandy soil the cost falls even lower

When the harvested water is finished, tanks are refilled by mobile tankers @ $ 0.20/litre.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & how ?

IN THE DESERT

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Before: rain water would drain away from roof tops and be lost into the soil.

A tank being dug by barefoot architects with pipes Tanks have ventilation built into the design to allow fresh air to circulate thereby connected to the rooftop. preventing the water fom smelling due to possible stagnation. Name of village DUKHION KI DHANI, District Ajmer Number of children in school 79 Topography Sandy area The nearest sweet water source Tyond 1 km Volume of the tank in feet 20 x 8 x 8 Capacity 35,000 Litres Community Contribution $ 40 Labour $ 190 Material $ 400 Total Cost $ 630 ($.02/litre) Number who contributed labour 10 Number of days contributed 3

Rainwater MUST be collected in areas where the groundwater is brackish (salty) or where the water is not potable because of too much iron or flouride.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & how ?

IN THE DESERT

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Rainwater can be collected in artificial tanks within villages. The water collected provides for cattle. It serves to recharge the groundwater and revitalise open wells and dry hand pumps.
Nadis are open ponds that act as catchment areas for recharging ground water as well as providing water for cattle and irrigation. These natural formations are deepened and their capacities increased to collect more rain water.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & how ?

IN THE DESERT

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Before being deepened. Name Population Location Soil Dug Out Capacity increased by Community Contribution Number of people Employed Number of Villages served Number of Cattle served Number of open wells recharged Number of months water will last after monsoon

The digging in progress. MURDI NADI 3000 Village BEETI, District Ajmer 47,848 cu. ft 1,311,000 Litres $ 72 88 (83 Women, 5 Men) for 33 days 3 6000 7 5

After the Monsoon.

Natural open ponds can be deepened to collect more rainwater. This water usually lasts for 4 - 6 months after the monsoon.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & how ?

IN THE DESERT

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Open well. 40 feet deep / 20 feet wide.

Rain water collected in a Nadi. The water from the open well serves two purposes. 1. For drinking / 2. For recharge

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & how ?

IN THE DESERT

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Before being deepened. Name Population Location Soil Dug Out Capacity increased by Community Contribution Labour Employed Number of Villages served Number of Cattle served Number of open wells recharged Number of months water will last after monsoon

Barefoot Architects deepening a Nadi. PATPARIA NADI 5,000 Village GODIANA, District Ajmer 26,810 cu. ft 7,34,500 Litres $ 39 55 (40 Women, 15 Men) for 29 days 4 10,000 5 4

After the Monsoon.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & how ?

IN THE DESERT

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Rainwater can be diverted and collected in large open wells. Millions of litres of water can percolate into the ground, rather than evaporating and going waste.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & how ?

IN THE DESERT

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2. The water collects in the well.

1. Channels and gullies are created to direct excess rain water into open wells.

3. This water then percolates into the ground. 4. Within a week 3,00,000 litres of water percolates 100 ft below ground level to recharge the ground water table.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & how ?

IN THE DESERT

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Women barefoot architects digging an open well for ground water recharge.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & how ?

IN THE DESERT

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Water from the roof top of this primary school is directed into this newly constructed open well.

The water from this well will serve to recharge the dry handpumps in the village.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & how ?

IN THE DESERT

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An open well. Water is saved from evaporation, contamination and arbitrary use by keeping it covered with thorny twigs and branches.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & how ?

IN THE DESERT

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A Bauri, or traditional step-well over a 100 years old in Rajasthan.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & how ?

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IN THE MOUNTAINS: Sikkim

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & how ?

IN THE MOUNTAINS

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Rainwater can be collected on the hilltops in mountainous regions. This will prevent it from flowing into the valley below.
The current technical solution is to pump water back up from the valley to the hilltops. This is then distributed through pipelines to remote villages. This is wasteful and unreliable.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & how ?

IN THE MOUNTAINS

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A water tank built over a 100 years ago in Sikkim to allow water to percolate into the ground to revitalise springs

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & how ?

IN THE MOUNTAINS

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Outline indicates site identified for the Rain Water Harvesting Tank.

Underground tanks can be built to store rain water by carving into the hillside.

Rain Water Harvesting Tank being constructed as part of the Barefoot College Training Campus, Sikkim.

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & how ?

IN THE MOUNTAINS

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Item Cement Sand Iron Rods Bamboo Wood beam Small stones Plastic Nails Wire for Binding Water Transport Wood Transport Cement Transport Loading / Unloading Sales Tax Total Material cost Total labour Cost Total Total Capacity Cost per litre

Quantity 330 17 2659 41 129 1,930 6 5 10 bags lorries kgs pieces cu.ft cu.ft kgs kgs kgs

Cost in Dollars 1150 350 1003 12 176 195 6 3 6 130 10 6 20 105 3172 2175 5347

160,000 litres $ 0.034

Rain Water Harvesting Tank in Sikkim Campus: Cost Breakdown

Rain Water Harvesting ~ Where & how ?

IN THE MOUNTAINS

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Outline indicating the rain water storage tank beneath the training centre. Note traditional building materials being used in conjunction with modern. Outline indicating the Space occupied by the rural electronic workshop.

The Training Centre is built on the rain water harvesting tank. Capacity : 160,000 litres

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RAINWATER HARVESTING

HAS THIS BEEN DONE ?

Has this been done ?

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From 1988 to 2001 barefoot architects constructed rainwater harvesting structures in over 200 rural primary schools collecting 19 million litres annually. Cost : US$ 0.50 cents/litre.

Has this been done ?

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Millions of litres have percolated into the ground by directing surface water into open wells recharging them and revitalising dry hand pumps.

Has this been done ?

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In the drought prone areas of Sikkim in the Himalayas 160,000 litres rainwater harvesting structure has made the Training Centre for barefoot solar engineers self sufficient in water.

Has this been done ?

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All the rainwater harvesting structures have been constructed by barefoot architects using traditional knowledge, skills and raw materials.

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RAINWATER HARVESTING

LESSONS LEARNT

Lessons Learnt

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Rain water can be collected where it falls. In schools and within the village, to revitalize open wells and handpumps at a marginal cost. The community has the competence and technical capability to construct their own water harvesting tanks without any expertise from outside. This is the only long term solution to drought proofing villages against water scarcity. The community has management and control over the water not the government. The construction of rain water harvesting structures is understood by all communities and can be replicated everywhere in the world where there is an acute drinking water shortage.

The End

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...and miles to go before we sleep.