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Rain Water
Harvesting
A Ray of hope against Water Crisis
By:Piyush Pahuja (XI-A)
Sagar Kapoor (XI-B)
Mayank Chhabra (XI-B) &
Rakesh Narang (XI-A)
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Index
What is this all about ------------------------------------------------------------------ 3
Rain Water Harvesting: Need of the Hour ----------------------------------------- 4-7
Various Forms of Rainwater Harvesting ------------------------------------------- 8-11
Advantages of using this ---------------------------------------------------------- 12-14
Quality of Water ------------------------------------------------------------------ 15-16
Something about our model ----------------------------------------------------------- 17
Some other Inspirations ---------------------------------------------------------- 18-23
What is its future! -------------------------------------------------------------------- 24
Bibliography --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25
Your Space! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 26-28
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What is this all about?
Rainwater harvesting is the gathering, or accumulating and
storing, of rainwater. Rainwater harvesting has been used to
provide drinking water, water for livestock, water for
irrigation or to refill aquifers in a process called groundwater
recharge. Rainwater collected from the roofs of houses, tents
and local institutions, or from specially prepared areas of
ground, can make an important contribution to drinking water.
In some cases, rainwater may be the only available, or
economical, water source. Rainwater systems are simple to
construct from inexpensive local materials, and are potentially
successful in most habitable locations. Roof rainwater is
usually of good quality and does not require treatment before
consumption. Household rainfall catchment systems are
appropriate in areas with an average rainfall greater than
200mm per year, and no other accessible water sources
(Skinner and Cotton, 1992).
There are a number of types of systems to harvest rainwater
ranging from very simple to the complex industrial systems.
Generally, rainwater is either harvested from the ground or
from a roof. The rate at which water can be collected from
either system is dependent on the plan area of the system, its
efficiency, and the intensity of rainfall.
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Rain Water Harvesting:
The need of the hour!
Did you know that harvesting rainwater is one of the simplest
and affordable ways of ensuring that you leave behind the
legacy of a world that is green and where this precious liquidwater is still available in abundance? With the population
growing at a phenomenal rate despite constant reminders of
the hazards that it might pose for the future human race and
the limited availability of both groundwater and surface
water, homeowners have to learn to use and recycle this
precious natural resource.
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Despite the technological advances that mankind has made a
vast majority still do not have access to potable drinking
water. We are all familiar with the fact that women in some
villages have to walk hundreds of kilometers to bring home a
few pots of drinking water. However, the fact that, there are
areas in the major metros of this country, where families
depend on water supplied by tankers once a week, might shock
a few of us.
Though rainwater harvesting has been in practice from time
immemorial in the form of kunds in the Thar Desert, kul and
A.G.D.A.V’s Sincere Work Against Global Nature’s Crisis
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bamboo irrigation methods and temple tanks, the importance
of it had dwindled considerably. Traditional rainwater
harvesting is still prevalent in rural areas, in surface storage
bodies like lakes, ponds and irrigation tanks. Temple tanks etc.
In urban areas however, due to the shrinking of open spaces,
rainwater has to be harvested in order to ensure that the
ground water level goes up.
Did you know that harvesting rainwater is one of the simplest
and affordable ways of ensuring that you leave behind the
legacy of a world that is green and where this precious liquidwater is still available in abundance? Well, if you still
haven’t discovered the benefits of rainwater harvesting
here is your chance.
According to Mr. Seetharaman, a resident of Annanagar,
“my borewell had clear potable water for years. But then
as the ground water level started going down. The water level
in my well receded as well. But around that time we did not
know much about rainwater harvesting. So, most of us who had
bore wells made them deeper and those did not have them dug
up new ones. This worsened the situation and in the year 2000
I had to buy a tanker of water for the first time in my life of
55 years. However, soon after that there was a lot of
pressure from the corporation to have rainwater harvesting
done. Ever since we have got it done the water level in my well
has definitely increased?
According to Mr. Santosh Sebastian ex- senior marketing
manager with Jain’s housing, “we make sure that we
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provide rain water harvesting and sewerage treatment plants
in all the buildings that we construct. However, we make sure
that only clean, high quality rainwater is allowed in to the bore
well. Secondly, we make a bye pass arrangement in case there
is a problem with, either the water quality or with the bore
well itself in terms of silting.?
What are the advantages of rainwater harvesting?
According to Ms. Usha Kumar who had it done in her house a
couple of years ago, it is not very expensive, but, has a lot of
benefits - for instance in my house I have the water from the
rooftops get chanellised into the ground and the other water
is stored in a tank… Secondly, since I already had a bore
well I was saved that expenditure, the other things I needed
were- a row of soak pits, which were concealed, below the
ground. Thirdly, you do not need to allocate separate space to
have rainwater harvesting facilities.
How much does it cost?
Raju who is a plumber by profession, can now be called a rain
water harvesting set up expert because of his experience in
this area of work says the cost of setting up can vary. This is
because it depends on two main factors- the area of the roof
and the structures that will be used to harvest rain.
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Rainwater harvesting has several advantages:
Helps you cut down on your water bills (especially in cities
where people have to buy water).
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Reduces demand on the municipal water supply.
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Makes efficient use of a valuable resource.
Reduces the possibilities of the occurrence of natural
calamities such as floods.
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Reduces soil erosion.
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Prevents the contamination of ground water.
Thus, rainwater harvesting is the need of the hour. As Ms.
Sheila Dixit points out,? Unless we get rainwater harvesting
as a movement we do not have a bright future and for that
people have to be motivated to make this a habit.” It is not
something that we should do to ensure a better tomorrow for
our future generation, but it is something we need to do to
save the planet and the human race.
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Various Forms of Rainwater
Harvesting
1. Ground Catchment Systems
Ground catchments systems channel water from a prepared
catchment area into storage. Generally they are only
considered in areas where rainwater is very scarce and other
sources of water are not available. They are more suited to
small communities than individual families. If properly
designed, ground catchments can collect large quantities of
rainwater.
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2. Roof Catchment Systems
Roof catchment systems channel rainwater that falls onto a
roof into storage via a system of gutters and pipes. The first
flush of rainwater after a dry season should be allowed to run
to waste as it will be contaminated with dust, bird droppings
etc. Roof gutters should have sufficient incline to avoid
standing water. They must be strong enough, and large enough
to carry peak flows. Storage tanks should be covered to
prevent mosquito breeding and to reduce evaporation losses,
contamination and algal growth. Rainwater harvesting systems
require regular maintenance and cleaning to keep the system
hygienic and in good working order.
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3. Subsurface Dyke
A subsurface dyke is built in an aquifer to obstruct the
natural flow of groundwater, thereby raising
the groundwater level and increasing the amount of water
stored in the aquifer.
The subsurface dyke at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kannur
under Kerala Agricultural University with the support
of ICAR, has become an effective method for ground water
conservation by means of rain water harvesting technologies.
The sub-surface dyke has demonstrated that it is a feasible
method for conserving and exploiting the groundwater
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resources of the Kerala state of India. The dyke is now the
largest rainwater harvesting system in that region.
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Advantages of Using This!
Ground Water Recharge
Rainwater may also be used for groundwater recharge, where
the runoff on the ground is collected and allowed to be
absorbed, adding to the groundwater. In the US, rooftop
rainwater is collected and stored in sump. In India this
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includes Bawdis and johads, or ponds which collect the run-off
from small streams in wide area.
In India, reservoirs called tankas were used to store water;
typically they were shallow with mud walls. Ancient tankas still
exist in some places.
Advantages in Urban Areas!
Rainwater harvesting in urban areas can have manifold
reasons. Some of the reasons rainwater harvesting can be
adopted in cities are to provide supplemental water for the
city's requirements, to increase soil moisture levels for urban
greenery, to increase the ground water table through
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artificial recharge, to mitigate urban flooding and to improve
the quality of groundwater. 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. It may require treatment
prior to use for drinking
In New Zealand, many houses away from the larger towns and
cities routinely rely on rainwater collected from roofs as the
only source of water for all household activities. This is almost
inevitably the case for many holiday homes.
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Quality of Water!
As rainwater may be contaminated, it is often not considered
suitable for drinking without treatment. However, there are
many examples of rainwater being used for all purposes —
including drinking — following suitable treatment.
Rainwater harvested from roofs can contain animal and
bird faeces, mosses and lichens, windblown dust, particulates
from urban pollution, pesticides, and inorganic ions from the
sea (Ca, Mg, Na, K, Cl, SO4), and dissolved gases
(CO2, NOx, SOx). High levels of pesticide have been found in
rainwater in Europe with the highest concentrations occurring
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in the first rain immediately after a dry spell; the
concentration of these and other contaminants are reduced
significantly by diverting the initial flow of water to waste as
described above. The water may need to be analyzed properly,
and used in a way appropriate to its safety. In the
Gansu province for example, harvested rainwater is boiled in
parabolic solar cookers before being used for drinking. In
Brazil alum and chlorine is added to disinfect water before
consumption. So-called "appropriate technology" methods,
such as solar water disinfection, provide low-cost disinfection
options for treatment of stored rainwater for drinking.
It is important that the system is sized to meet the water
demand throughout the dry season. Generally speaking, the
size of the storage tank should be big enough to meet the
daily water requirement throughout the dry season. In
addition, the size of the catchment area or roof should be
large enough to fill the tank.
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Something about our
Model!
Our model’s main concept is of Rooftop Water Catchment way
of Rain Water Harvesting, it is a small scale version and low
cost version of rooftop harvesting, it basically focuses on the
idea that our main aim is save pure water as only 3%-4% water
present on earth’s surface can be drunk. It aims to aware
people that they can also contribute their bit to save global
water crisis and save the world. It is being found that only
19% of rainwater is collected naturally whereas other 81%
runs off the surface of earth, gets contaminated and get used
by wild plants and animals, we don’t say that this method of
saving water will completely curb the natural problems, but it
will lessen the impact of water shortage by providing, water at
the stage badly required. Our model has been made after this
inspiration to aware you towards your role as a member of
human race, which your effort counts a lot.
Our model is basic and efficient in showing how a real rooftop
water harvesting system works. It is made from ground zero
with just rough ideas and imagination! Please take time to read
this! And give your review!
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Some Other Inspirations:
Jal Swaraj
"The Real Green Revolution is about
rainwater harvesting.
Let us catch water where it falls. Let it
transform human lives. Let it change social
existence. If this happens, the world will be
transformed. The world will merely be an
agglomeration of ecological-rainwater
harvesting-democracies."
- Anil Agarwal
Founder-Director, CSE
The Centre for Science and Environment, a New Delhi based
non-governmental organisation (NGO) has been promoting the
revival of traditional systems of water harvesting as a
practical solution for drought proofing the affected areas.
The organisation has developed a comprehensive strategy to
further the impact of its campaign for participatory,
equitable and decentralised paradigm for water management.
A look at the Jal swaraj campaign:
The journey so far…
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Mid-1980s: CSE set out to undertake a massive
exercise- to document India's traditions in rainwater
harvesting.
1990: Organised a national conference on India's
traditions in water harvesting.
1997: Published Dying Wisdom: The rise, fall and
potential of India's traditional water harvesting
traditions-a book with a powerful message.
1998: Organised Potential of Water Harvesting:
Technologies, Policies and Social Mobilisation, an
international conference of water harvesting practioners
and thinkers. President K R Narayanan inaugurated it and
Chief minister of Madhya Pradesh closed it.
1999: January, Released Water Links, a directory of
water harvesters in India and abroad.
1999: February, Began publishing bimonthly newsletter,
Catch Water.
1999: April, Launched National Water Harvesters
Network, with its first state unit set up in Chennai, under
Dr A Vaidyanathan. A national steering committee was
formed to guide the network members.
1999: November, Began Water Harvesting Advisory
Services to provide designs to people, free of cost.
2000: May,Led its first Paani Yatra (Water Pilgrimage)
to Gujarat. It has since organised four such trips in
different parts of the country.
2000: June,Released a manual on Urban Rain Water
Harvesting.
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
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2000: July, Anil Agarwal addressed Prime Minister,
members of Union Cabinet and state governors to drive
home the significance water harvesting.
2001: March, Published Making Water Everybody's
Business: Practice and Policy of Water Harvesting, a
manual to make water harvesting a mass movement.
2002: July, Unveils its first Rain Centre-a permanently
set up exhibitions that seek to spread water literacy
among urban Indians--in Chennai, in collaboration with
Akash Ganga Trust
2002: October, Launches its Campaign to Protect Urban
Wetlands with a two-day long workshop; constitutes a
core committee of experts and individuals working on the
issues; and sets up CSE Lake Net, a web-based discussion
group
2002-2003: Sets up a chain of eleven model rainwater
harvesting projects in Delhi, as tools to establish the
fact that the technique can be implemented successfully
by all concerned individuals in urban India who are looking
for a way to fulfill their own demands.
A Lesson
There was a thirsty crow. It peered into an earthen pitcher.
There was water at the bottom. "Dregs," it cawed alarmed.
But it was thirsty. It began to drop pebbles into the pitcher.
Drop by drop, the water rose to the top. The crow drank and
flew away sated. It could have used a pneumatic drill to smash
through to the water. It didn't.
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This water harvester of a crow could teach us a thing or two.
The water arithmetic.
We stare at the dregs of our ingenuity, at a resource
scientifically misutilised. We are cawing alarmed. But we only
keep cawing, raucously at that. Lets get on, like the crow.
Fashion a pebble-by-pebble approach to meet our needs.
First recognise that the source of
all water on earth is not the river,
is not the underground aquifer, is
not the lake, well or stream. Rain is
the source of all water.
Second, recognise that in India the monsoon is a deluge. Rain
spatters the earth. Fills ponds. Lakes brim. Rivers heave. But
the monsoon is also brief. We receive most of its rainfall in
just 100 hours out of 8,760 hours in a year. But this is enough
to meet our water needs, provide food security and eradicate
rural poverty.
Water
Balance
in
India
According to a study, India receives
400 million hectare meters (mham) of
rain and snowfall. Another 20 mham flow
in as surface water from outside the
country. This total 420 mham provide
the country with river flows of 180
mham. Another 67 mham is available as
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groundwater. About 173 mham is lost as
evaporation or becomes soil moisture which can be captured directly as
rainwater or as runoff from small
catchments in and near villages or
towns. If even 20 - 3- mham can be
captured through rainwater harvesting,
tremendous pressure can greatly extend
the availability of clean water. Why is
Cherrapunji today short of drinking
water when it gets more than 11 meters
of rainfall annually? Simply because it
does not capture the rain that falls over
it.
Third, recognise the rainwater needs to
be harvested through capturing, storing
and recharging it and later using it
during prolonged parched periods. The
key component of water management is 'storage' especially in
India. Small means even more water. Michael Evenari, an
Israeli scientist's study clearly demonstrates that ten dams
with one hectare catchment will store more water than one
dam of ten hectare. Several other studies conducted by the
Central Soil and Water Conservation Research Institute in
different parts of the country revealed similar results.
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Any land can be used to harvest rainwater. (See potential) In
tune with the terrain, with nothing imposed. It is just a
matter of using material locally abundant - stones, mud,
bamboo etc.
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The future of this!
The future of this method is bright as the sun!, as you
know that there are many places in India where the
rainfall extent is above 150cm a year, in these areas rain
water can be cultivated for various purposes like irrigation
(in rural areas where building of canals might not be
possible), generation of electricity from using a dynamo
near the storage tank. Even it can be used for daily
purposes. If it is implemented all over India, India’s
17.236% need of water can be curbed.
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Bibliography
http://sci-techzcool.co.cc
http://wikipedia.org
http://sciencebuddy.com
http://inventnow.org
http://twitter.com/wotr
http://wotr.com
Terra-green Edition VI (2009)
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