A PRESENTATION ON WATER HARVESTING

Water Harvesting
Presented By

Definition
Rainwater harvesting is the accumulation and deposition of rainwater for reuse before it reaches the aquifer. Uses include water for garden, water for livestock, water for irrigation, etc. In many places the water collected is just redirected to a deep pit with percolation.

How?
The concept is simple

Collect
Store and use

Recharge

Not new to India

Source: http://blog.shunya.net/shunyas_blog/2008/08/dholavira-a-har.html

Rainwater storage reservoir at Dholavira (Rann of Kutch) Harappan civilization (2500-1900 BC)

Rain Water Pattern in India

Total annual rainfall in India: 400 million hectare-meters (area x height) Indias area: 329 million hectares If evenly spread, average height: 1.28m Actual distribution:
Highly skewed area-wise Thar desert receives less than 200mm annually, while Cherrapunji receives 11,400mm But almost every part of India receives at least 100mm annually

Key: even 100mm annual rainfall sufficient if harvested properly and where it falls

But.
Temporal distribution of rain in India also skewed Rainfall in India seasonal (unlike Western countries) Most of the country receives rainfall only for about 100 hours each year
Rough rule of thumb: #cm of rain = #hours rain received E.g.: Jodhpur receives 40cm of rain in about 40 hours

Half of this rainfall is precipitated in just 1/5 th of the total hours

E.g.: Jodhpur receives more than half its annual rain in about 8 hours

Natural implication of such skew:

Most of the rain water lost due to runoffs
Unlike the west, very little water percolates into the ground Hence, the importance of harvesting structures for local self-sufficiency

Traditional rainwater harvesting systems

Mountainous rain-shadow regions like Spiti valley

Flood plains to check floods during monsoons

The Deccan plateau which has only monsoon fed (no perennial) rivers

Widely prevalent in all parts of India

Traditional rainwater harvesting systems

Mountainous regions with heavy rainfall to check erosion and to provide water in non-rainy months since water distribution systems are not easy to install

Desert and arid region , Rajasthan, Rann of Kutch etc.

Widely prevalent in all parts of India

Centuries old Kul irrigation in the Western Himalayan mountainous rain-shadow regions like Spiti valley
Glacier melt is diverted into the head of a kul or a diversion channel

These kuls channel the water over

many kilometers

They lead into a tank in the village from which water flow is regulated

Source: http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/methods/traditional/kuls.htm Accessed November 2008

Importance of Water Harvesting

Ground water exploitation in India is very high

Big dam projects have hardly had any positive impact

To find out: what is the proportion of land irrigated by ground water versus dams? Traditional water harvesting systems have withstood the test of time

Importance of Water Harvesting (contd.)

Example of the stellar success of traditional water harvesting systems: The city of Jodhpur, even though several hundred years old and right in

the middle of a desert, has never been evacuated for lack of water.
The traditional water harvesting systems worked even in droughts when piped water supply failed

Om Thanvi, a Rajasthan journalist found over a 45-day survey that

In villages where traditional water systems were maintained and used, there was no scarcity of drinking water even during times of

drought
In villages which relied purely on piped supply, the drying up of the Rajasthan canal meant an acute water crisis

Water Harvesting Structures in the Thar Desert and Central Highlands

Urban/rural water harvesting structures: - Tankas, Nadis, Talabs, Bavdis, Tanks, Rapats, Kuis, Virdas Rural water harvesting structures:

- Kunds, khadins

Strategies for Improvement

Specifically:
Construction of water sources that cannot be contaminated by infected persons Filtration of water Disinfection through chemicals (such as chlorine)

Broadly
Community involvement, coupled with health education Protect the catchment area; fencing it off to keep out cattle and human beings from polluting the area Improvements in the design and construction of the catchment area, storage and withdrawal so as to reduce pollution Awareness regarding traditional water systems and their health impact

Points
Importance of reforestation Keeping cattle away from catchment Uthnau holes dug up in the stone quarries act as water tanks
Soil isnt very deep, mostly rocky land No trees Volunteers from outside very hard to find (remote area)
Volunteers need to not feel superior to the local tribals

Too Goria centric

Motivations for water harvesting

India too diverse for dams Working examples Modern technology potentially lead to regression Water crucial in India (50% people will suffer from lack of drinking water)

Rainwater harvesting today

Collection (Catchment) Flat / sloping roofs Transportation: Downtake pipes

Leaf and grit filter, First flush device

Storage in tanks

Recharge into open wells / borewells / percolation pits / trenches