Rain Water Harvesting

Demand for water is growing in most cities as every urban citizen requires almost double the amount of water than a rural citizen. Moreover, India is rapidly urbanizing.
Urban population in India has grown almost five times in five decades from (62.44 million) in 1951  to (286.08) in 2001. Not long ago, most of our cities were self-sufficient in meeting their water needs from the extensive urban water bodies to supply water to citizens. Today these water bodies have completely disappeared. Municipalities have been stretched to their limits to find water for the growing urban populations. Groundwater is being extracted by the government as well as the private parties.

The term rainwater harvesting is being frequently used these days, however, the concept of water harvesting is not new for India. Water harvesting techniques had been evolved and developed centuries ago.

System of collecting rainwater and conserving for future needs has traditionally been practiced in India. The traditional systems were time-tested wisdom of not only appropriate technology of Rainwater  Harvesting but also water management systems, where conservation of water was the prime concern. People were themselves responsible for maintenance to water sources and optimal use of water that could fulfill their needs.

At home rainwater can be harvested following a few simple steps:
The first step is collecting the rainwater on a rooftop. Then transporting the water through pipes into a specially made closed gutter or downspout. The next step is the storage of the water and there are several options here. You can collect in in a tank for your use, usually, it is passed through a sand and gravel filter before storage. It can be collected on an open pond or into pits or trenches to restore groundwater, or into an existing well.

It is us who could not save and conserve water and its sources, probably because of its availability in abundance. But this irresponsible attitude resulted in the deterioration of water bodies with respect to quantity and quality both. Now, the situation has arrived when even a single drop of water matters. However. " better late than never", the need of the hour is that we should realize our responsibilities towards mother nature and our future generation and involve ourselves in such activities to promote a healthy future.

As  the water crisis continues to become severe, there is a dire need of reform in the water management system and revival of traditional systems. There is now increasing interest in a low-cost alternative - generally referred to as "water harvesting". Scientific and technological studies need to be carried out to assess present status so as to suggest suitable mitigative measures for the revival to the traditional system. Revival process should necessarily be backed by people's initiative and active public participation.

Himanshu Verma
Navrattan Free Power Corporation Limited (NFPCL)