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Construction
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WWW RWH Search Procedures and specifications for construction of storage and recharge tanks Urban
are explained below. There are a lot of similarities in the construction steps of People
both storage and recharge structures.
Harvesting
search for Rain Water
System
Harvesting Systems I. Masonry Tanks:
n Components
Jal Swaraj n Design
When building brick walls for water tanks,
both horizontal and vertical joints are filled Construction
with mortar of a ration of 1:4. For obtaining w Masonary
maximum strength, lay out a circle of bricks w RCC
Events or blocks on the foundation without mortar,
with such spacing that no brick or block is w Ferro cement
cut to fit into the circle. A proper foundation w Recharge well
of cement concrete will also have to be
provided. Construction of a masonry tank under progress
Each brick or block should be dipped in n Maintenance
water to saturate and make it waterproof. Thereafter these bricks are laid upon n Cost
the cement mortar.
Bricks and blocks in walls should be sprinkled with water just before plastering for
AT A GLANCE
bonding. The right way to apply plaster is to throw a thin coat of mortar (1:3) on
to the inner wall and then a thin coat of 1:4 mortar on the outer wall while the The Potential
RUNOFF CALCULATOR first coat settles, and so on until the required thickness of plaster is reached. The
surface of each coat of plaster, except the final one, is made rough to make sure Initiative
FAQ ON RWH
there is good bonding between coats. n Practices
TECHNICAL HELPLINE For simplicity and maximum strength, walls built of burnt bricks, or blocks made n Projects
GROUNDWATER MAP from compressed sandy soil and cement, rubble stones and concrete are n Legislation
reinforced after they have been built to their final height.
RAINFALL DATA n In your
Plaster on the walls of water tanks must not be allowed to dry or be exposed to
WATER LINKS sunshine for the first three weeks. The process of keeping the mortar wet is building
called curing. Covering the walls with polythene sheeting or plastic sacks, which Traditional
DOSSIERS must be properly secured against the walls using the sisal strings, does this.
Practices
THREATENED WETLANDS Water is poured between the wall and the sacks or polythene morning and
evening for three weeks. The external wall can be made weather proof (if the
LEGISLATION tank is above the ground level) with two coats made of 1 part cement to 10 parts SEE ALSO
lime.
NATIONAL No water
INTERNATIONAL Water war

II. Reinforced Cement Concrete Tank (RCC) Look up!

HOW TO HARVEST
Reinforced concrete tanks can be built above or below the ground. Concrete is durable How to harvest
INDIA
and long-lasting, but is subject to cracking. An advantage of concrete cisterns is their
n In rural areas
ability to decrease the corrosiveness of rainwater by allowing the dissolution of calcium
carbonate from the walls and floors. Each tank must have an overflow system for In urban areas
TRADITIONS situations when excess water enters the tank. The overflow can be connected to the Jal yodhas
drainage system.
Way ahead
RURAL CASE STUDIES
Design and construction of reinforced cement concrete tanks shall comply with
URBAN CASE STUDIES the requirements of IS 3370 (part-I)-1965 and IS 456-1964. Accordingly the mix of READ MORE :
cement concrete shall not be leaner than 1:2:4 ( 1 part cement: 2 parts of coarse sand
and 4 parts of stone aggregates of 20 mm nominal size)
INTERNATIONAL
When constructing water tanks it is essential to adhere to a few basic yet critical rules
TRADITIONS with respect to correct mixtures and applications of concrete and mortar. These include:

RURAL CASE STUDIES Mixing cement, aggregate and water properly, and not adding too much water
Applying the mortar or concrete within a maximum of half an hour of mixing
URBAN CASE STUDIES
Curing cement work properly by keeping it moist and under shade for at least
three weeks after its application.

III. Ferro Cement Jars:

Ferrocement consists of a thin sheet of cement mortar which is reinforced with a cage
made of wire mesh and steel bars. Because ferrocement is structurally more effectient
than masonry, the thickness of the walls of the container are as low as 10 to 15 mm.
Ferrocement components can be casted in any shape using suitable moulds. The
technology is extremely simple to implement, and even semi-skilled workpersons can
learn it with ease. Ferrocement requires only a few easily available materials - cement,
sand, galvanized iron (GI) wire mesh, and mild steel (MS) bars - in small amounts
compared to masonry and RCC.

a. Pot shaped container:

The process of construction of a pot shaped ferro cement container is quite simple. The
only materials required are hessian cloth, chaff (waste from agricultural produce), GI
wire mesh, MS bars, cement and sand.

Preparation of mould: The hessian cloth is first stiched into a sack resembling
the shape of a container. It is then filled with chaff that is compacted in layers. Dry
leaves or dry grass can also be used in place of chaff. Once the sack is filled with the
filler material, it is beaten into the required shape by a wooden bat.

Source: Catchwater

Laying of reinforcement: A GI wire mesh (22-26 guage - see table) is tied

around the mould leaving sockets at suitable locations for inlet, over flow and cleaning
pipes. Tying 6 mm diameter MS bars at wide intervals both horizontally and vertically
strengthens the reinforcement cage.

Preparation of cement mortar for plastering: Cement mortar of suitable

proportion (see table) is prepared, having water content equal to 0.45 times the volume
of cement.

Capacity of Thickness of Ratio Cement: Thickness of GI

containerLitres the walls sand wire (guage)
400 10 1:3 26
600 10 1:3 24
900 12 1:2:5 24
1500 15 1:2:5 22

Plastering: The mortar is plastered in two layers along the wall thickness, the
second layer being applied 24 hours after the first. The ferro cement wall normally has a
thickness of 10 to 15 mm, depending on the volume of the container. The cement mortar
is applied ensuring a minimum clearance (cover) 3 mm between the reinforcement mesh
and the outer surfaces of the wall.

Removal of mould: The mould of the container is removed 24 hours after

casting of the wall is completed, by removing the filler material. The container can be
brought into use after 10 days of wet curing.

b. Ferrocement Tank using Skeletal Cage:

Phases of construction

i Selection of site
ii Marking for circular foundation:
Choose the diameter of foundation (Df) for required storage capacity from the table

Capacity of
5,000 and 7,000 and 9,000 and
storage tank
6,000 8,000 10,000
(litres)
Df 2.40 m 2.70 m 3.00 m

iii Excavation for foundation

iv Compacting the excavated pit
v Placing cement concrete in foundation:
Prepare Plain Cement Concrete of 1:4:8 mix ( 1 cement: 4 sand: 8 stone aggregate of
40mm size)
vi Erection of mould/ Preparation of elements of skeletal cage
vii a. Preparation of Elements of Skeletal Cage:

Source: Action for food Production and United Nations Children's Fund, Rooftop rainwater harvesting
systems

Skeletal cage is an assembly of 4 types of elements (of different shapes) made

from mild steel rods. They are
 'U' shaped elements
'L' shaped elements
'ë' shaped elements
'O' shaped elements

Dimensions of elements for tank capacities 5,000 litres to 10,000 litres

Element No. Dimensions Capacity of Storage Tank (in litres)

5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000 10,000

u 2 H 1.8 2.1 1.9 2.1 1.9 2.1

W1 2.05 2.05 2.35 2.35 2.65 2.65

4 H 1.8 2.1 1.9 2.1 1.9 2.1

L W2 0.82 0.82 0.95 0.95 1.05 1.05

8 H 1.8 2.1 1.9 2.1 1.9 2.1

L W3 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.65 0.65

D1 9Nos 11Nos 10Nos 11Nos 10Nos 11Nos

2.05 2.05 2.35 2.35 2.65 2.65

1 D2 1.25 1.25 1.41 1.41 1.60 1.60

1 D3 0.62 0.62 0.71 0.71 0.84 0.80

Source: Action for food Production and United Nations Children's Fund, Rooftop rainwater harvesting systems
Notes:
* Refer to above table for dimensions and number of each of these elements for 5,000,
6,000, 7,000, 8,000, 9,000 and 10,000 litres capacity system
* Use 6 mm diameter rods for preparing 'U', 'L' and 'ë' shaped elements. Use 4 mm
diameter GI wire for "O" shaped elements (Circular rings)
* Straighten, cut and bend the mild steel rods to form these elements
* Adopt an overlap length of 10 cm in forming the circular elements.

b. Assembling the elements:

Place the two 'U' shaped rods vertically over the foundation, perpendicular to
each other
Place the outer, middle and inner rings over the two 'U' shaped rods, coinciding
with the circular marking and tie the intersections with binding wires
Place and tie 4 'L' shaped elements on the center marking of each quarter, each
rod extending upto the inner most ring
Place and tie 8 'ë' shaped elements on the remaining markings, each element
extending to the middle ring
Place and tie all the rings of diameter 'D1" over the vertical reinforcement at a
uniform spacing of 20 cm
For providing cylindrical shape to the skeletal cage, fix cross bars at the top of
skeletal cage and ie with ropes, 3-4 vertical rods to wooden pegs pegged to the
ground.

c. Tying of mesh over skeletal cage:

Select the reinforcement mesh that suits the capacity of the tank from the table below:
Capacity of
5,000 & 6,000 7,000 & 8,000 9,000 & 10,000
Tank (Lt)
Chicken wire mesh Chicken wire mesh Chicken wire mesh
Specification of of 22 gauge and of 20 gauge and of 20 gauge and
wire mesh 12 mm (1/2") 25 mm (1") 25 mm (1")
opening opening opening

Source: Action for food Production and United Nations Children's Fund, Rooftop rainwater
harvesting systems

Note: Woven wire mesh of rectangular opening, of same specifications mentioned

above, can be used if chicken wire mesh is not available

Wrap two layers of selected mesh, one layer on the outer side and one layer on the inner
side of the skeletal cage. Tie the mesh with binding wire to the skeletal cage at all
intersections of elements
Provide a tucking length of 30 cm (1 foot) at the base
Project the mesh 10 cm above the top of the skeletal cage
Cut the skeletal cage and insert pipe fixtures such as overflow pipe, drain pipe and tap at
appropriate places as given in table

Over flow pipe 10 cm below the top of cage

Drain pipe 5 cm above the foundation
Tap 10 cm above the foundation

viii. Plastering the tank's outside wall

Prepare cement slurry (cement mixed with water) and add anti-rust agent
(chrometrioxide tablets)
Apply one coat of cement slurry (mix of cement and water) over the mesh using a
painting brush
 Prepare cement mortar of depending on capacity of tank
Apply the first coat of cement mortar on the outer surface at a thickness of 1 cm.
Care has to be taken to fill the space between the two layers completely. This
could be done by using a GI sheet, slightly curved in shape to be held close to the
skeletal cage from inside by a person, while cement mortar is applied by another
from outside
Leave 10 cm of mesh projected above the cage unplastered in order to join the
skeletal dome to the tank
After two hours, apply a second coat of mortar of a thickness of 1 cm.
ix. Plastering the tank's inside wall

After two hours of outside plastering, apply cement slurry to the inner surface of
the tank wall
Prepare cement mortar of 1: 3 mix and add waterproof compound in liquid form
Apply first coat of cement mortar of 1 cm thickness on the inner surface, starting
from bottom of the tank moving laterally and progressing towards the top
After two hours, apply second coat of mortar to attain a total wall thickness of 2
cm
Apply cement slurry as final coat on outer and inner surfaces of tank and
smoothen using coir brush

x. Removal of mould

xi. Casting of tank floor:

Sprinkle cement slurry over the foundation concrete

Prepare plain cement concrete of 1:2:4 mix ( 1 cement: 2 sand: 4 stone
aggregate of 12 mm size), pour it over the base and compact to a thickness of 50
mm (2 inch)
Finish the floor base using cement mortar keeping the slope towards the drain
pipe
Finish the wall and base joints (inner and outer) with cement mortar
Twelve hours after setting the tank floor, add waterproof compound (liquid form)
with cement slurry and apply it over inside surface of the tank and smoothen with
coir brush

xii. Curing the tank

Cure the tank for 14 days by pouring water thrice a day or covering the tank with
wet gunny bags
In coastal areas, after curing for 14 days, apply rust proof paint over the outer
surface of tank wall

xiii. Construction of roof for the tank

An assembly of mild steel elements is prepared as a skeletal frame for the roof.
Chicken wire mesh is tied over it and plastered in cement mortar
The roof is provided with two openings. One is an opening of diameter 35 cm for
accommodating the filter container. Another is a manhole with a 60 cm opening.
The opening for the filter will be on one side of the roof. The manhole is provided
at the centre of dome

Recharge well
a) Construction of a new recharge well

Step 1: Excavating the earth Step 2: Making a borehole to facilitate

groundwater recharging

Step 3: Providing masonry or RCC walls in the Step 4: Covering the tank made with a RCC or
excavated portion and thereafter providing the stone slab provided with a manhole.
filter materials.

b) Conversion of a dried up tube well into a recharge well

 Step 1: Replace top few metres of the cast iron
Step 2: Wrap the perforations with a screen-made
casing pipe of the dried tubewell with a perforated
of either coir screen or closely knit nylon mesh.
poly Vinyl chloride (PVC) pipe.

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