Rainwater Harvesting

Rain Water Harvesting is the age old traditional practice which is being practiced from the birth of human civilization. Like other living organisms man cannot survive without water. This made him to think and invent on different types of harvesting structures in order to obtain potable water. From the decades onwards with new technologies and globalization the structures focused are on dams, reservoirs, canals, irrigation tanks, percolation tanks etc. But, with the increasing population (human and animal) and with diseases related to water, it has become incessant practice to provide safe drinking water. In continuation to this above practice, a project on Roof top rain water harvesting structure with a study was implemented to provide safe drinking water to the community and to identify the best possible technology with respect to the specific region. In this paper, it covers the components that can be taken under the rain water harvesting structure, geographical area, availability of the water quantity, its quality and water demand. It also covered about the design parameters in which the flexibility and community management can promote and accordingly the design was modified. The main conclusion of this paper was the acceptance of the community about the technology, its design considerations and about the promotion of this technology in the water scarcity and pollutant regions. Finally, the study revealed that, it requires awareness (Psychological awareness) about the utilization of direct rain water with a primary filter unit, challenge of social and community acceptance, maintenance and time involvement for effective utilization and the water available at the door step with an amount of Rs. 1.30/- per liter.

A practical guideline featuring best practices for rainwater harvesting in small Island Caribbean environments

CSE’s special website, rainwaterharvesting.org, provides interested people comprehensive information on rainwater harvesting – on water crisis, conflicts, solutions, technologies, water crusaders and policy, including a database of different technologies for rural and urban contexts. To provide information on resource persons and experts, CSE has compiled a database of NGOs and individuals knowledgeable about water harvesting across the country.

As a part of the Centre for Science and Environment's (CSE) campaign to spread awareness about community based rainwater harvesting techniques, the centre has identified Sixteen model projects in Delhi, from among those that have been designed by it. CSE has helped in the process of implementation of these and has been monitoring their impact on a regular basis. These Sixteen model projects have been constructed by enterprising citizens who sought CSE's help to setup rainwater harvesting structures in their colonies and institutions. The structures have a distinctive geographical and geological characteristic; the Mira Model School model, for example, has been constructed on a sedimentary terrain and the Shri Ram School project is on a hilly terrain. They also feature different forms of rainwater harvesting - rooftop harvesting and surface water harvesting.

Implementation of the By-Laws in different States & Cities.

East Delhi Municipal Corporation has decided to make the establishment of rainwater harvesting unit a prerequisite to get a building plan approved.

Rainwater harvesting has been used throughout history as a water conservation measure, particularly in regions where other water resources are scarce or difficult to access. In recent years, researchers and policy makers have shown renewed interest in water use strategies due to rising water demand, increased interest in conservation (both water and energy), and an increased regulatory emphasis on reducing storm water runoff volumes and associated pollutant loads. In the last decade, as interest in the practice has grown, numerous state, municipal, and regional agencies have adopted or amended codes and guidelines to encourage responsible and effective rainwater harvesting practices. In addition, researchers from universities and non-government organizations, as well as industry consultants, have published papers and articles addressing a broad range of topics related to the installation, maintenance, costs, and performance of harvest and use systems. A literature review of existing research and policy documents related to rainwater harvesting has been conducted, with particular focus on characterizing the current state of the practice in the areas of: (1) water conservation, (2) storm water volume and pollutant load reduction, (3) code and administration considerations and (4) cost factors. The purpose of this report is to summarize the existing knowledge base in these four areas, assess factors affecting economic benefits of rainwater harvesting, and identify topics requiring additional research. This report is not intended to serve as a design document. Readers looking for design guidance should consult a more technically-focused publication, such as the Texas Manual on Rainwater Harvesting (TWDB, 2005).

The Maltese Islands have limited freshwater resources and depend heavily on desalination. Therefore there is an evident need to mobilise non conventional Water Resources (NCWR) in order to secure water availability and facilitate sustainable development.

The worst ever drought that the state of Maharashtra has experienced till date is the 1972 drought when almost 5 million people had no work as the crops failed. But the current drought in Maharashtra is set to break all the records. With millions estimated to be affected, lakhs of cattle rendered hungry without fodder, this drought is the worst kind of natural disaster that the state has faced. Almost 1/5th of Maharashtra is reeling under drought.

Rainwater harvesting is a technology used to collect, convey and store rain for later use from relatively clean surfaces such as a roof, land surface or rock catchment. The water is generally stored in a rainwater tank or directed to recharge groundwater. Rainwater infiltration is another aspect of rainwater harvesting playing an important role in stormwater management and in the replenishment of the groundwater levels. Rainwater harvesting has been pr acticed for over 4,000 years throughout the world, acticed for over 4,000 years throughout the world, traditionally in arid and semi-arid areas, and has provided drinking water, domestic water and water for livestock and small irrigation. Today, rainwater harvesting has gained much on significance as a modern, water-saving and simple technology.

Extreme climate events such as aridity, drought, flood, cyclone and stormy rainfall are expected to leave an impact on human society. They are also expected to generate widespread response to adapt and mitigate the sufferings associated with these extremes. Societal and cultural responses to prolonged drought include population dislocation, cultural separation, habitation abandonment, and societal collapse. A typical response to local aridity is the human migration to safer and productive areas. However, climate and culture can interact in numerous ways. We hypothesize that people may resort to modify dwelling environments by adapting new strategies to optimize the utility of available water by harvesting rain rather than migrating to newer areas. We review recent palaeoclimatological evidence for climate change during the Holocene, and match those data with archaeological and historical records to test our ‘climate change–rainwater harvest’ hypothesis. We find correlation between heightened historical human efforts for construction of rainwater harvesting structures across regions in response to abrupt climate fluctuations, like aridity and drought. Historical societal adaptations to climate fluctuations may provide insights on potential responses of modern societies to future climate change that has a bearing on water resources, food production and management of natural systems.

This handbook has been written to assist NGO and government staff responsible for implementing domestic roofwater harvesting systems or programmes. It can be used to design single roofwater harvesting systems. The handbook focuses primarily on low-cost DRWH in the ‘humid tropics’ (areas close to the Equator with average rainfall over 800 mm).

MUMBAI: Most new buildings in the city do not have a functional rainwater harvesting system though it is mandated by law, said a report released by a think tank on World Water Day on Friday. It was also found that the city wastes over 900 million litres of water every day, more than the daily water supply to Pune city. Experts brought together by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) said the severe drought in 16 districts of the state should serve as a wake-up call to the city. They urged residents and local bodies to adopt sustainable solutions to save the city from the acute water crisis in the rest of the state.

The Blue Drop Series on Water Harvesting and Utilisation is divided into three and each one has a specific target group- policy makers, beneficiaries and capacity and implementing agencies. The publications give an overview of the concept of rainwater and have a focus on the legal and administrative framework for rainwater harvesting. Book 2: Beneficiaries & Capacity.