The rains are important source ofwater and if we can harvest

rain water, the scarcity of water can be eliminated upto large

extent. Amajor portion of rainwater that falls on earth surface runoff
from stream to river to sea. On average only 8% of totalrainfall
recharges ground aquifers. This can be enhanced upto 50% with
proper rainwater harvesting. Therefore, it is our bounden duty to
conserve the rain water in the form of rain water harvesting.
 RAiNWATER HARVES TING
WHat is RiNwateR HaRvestiNG?
People have been harvesting rainwater for thousands of years. Folded
banana leaves or rocky outcrops where water poured off during rains
created plentiful opportunities to collect water.

More recently, roofs have acted as efficient catchment systems for

people to collect rainwaterfor domestic use. By building simple
rainwatercatchment systems,houses, schools and municipal buildings
can harvest rainwaterfrom their roofs and gutters to store for
drinking and cleaning as well as for use in times ofemergency and to
supplement unreliable water sources.
Rainwater offers an alternative water source when water runs out or

.
is unreliable.

Water can be stored in bottles and purified for drinking or stored in

jugs for washing hands, watering gardens and cleaning.
Taking responsibility for clean water and water conservation
provides a model for the community.
Need for rain water harvesting

Water one of the most essential requirement for existence of living

is beings.
Surface water and ground water are tWO major sources of water. Due to over

population and higherusage levels of water in urban areas,water supply agencies

are unable to cope up demand from surface sources like dams, reservoirs, rivers
etc. This has led to digging of individual tube wells by house owners. Even water

11

supply agencies have resorted to ground water sources by digging tube-wells in

order to augment the water supply.Replenishment of ground water is drastically
reduced due to paving of open areas. Indiscriminate exploitation of ground water
results in lowering of water table rendering many bore-wells dry. To over come
this situation bore wells are drilled to greater depths. This further lowers thewater
table and in some areasthis leads to higher concentration of hazardous chemicals
such as fluorides, nitrates and arsenic. In coastal areas like Chennai, over
exploitation of ground water resulted in seawater intrusion thereby rendering
ground water bodies saline. In rural areas also, government policies on subsidized
power supply for agricultural pumps and piped water supply through bore wells
are resulting into decline in ground water table. The solution to all these problems
is to replenish ground water bodies with rain water by man made means.
 2. Method of Rain Water Harvesting

Rainwater harvesting is the collection and storage of rainwater for reuse on-site, rather than

allowing it to run off. These stored waters are used for various purposes such as gardening,
irrigation etc. Various methods of rainwater harvesting are des cribed in this section. Broadly

there are two ways of harvesting rainwater -

1. Surfacerunoff harvesting

2. Roof top rainwater harvesting

Sump docated
belowthe ground)

chambar
Filtor
1. Surfacerunoff harvesting

Surface waterharvesting includes all systemsthat collect and conserve surface runoff after a

rainstorm or in intermittent streams, rivers, or wetlands for storage in open ponds and

reservoirs. This can provide water for direct household use (treatment is generally

required), irrigation, livestock, and aquaculture. Storage can also be the goal of collecting

surface water, whether through open reservoirs or direct infiltration to aquifers below
ground. Storing waterin an aquifer conserves waterbetter as it prevents evaporation, untike

open reservoir systems. In urban area rainwater flows away as surface runoff. This runoffaist

could be caught and used for recharging aquifers by adopting approprato

Regd-y020-21

4|

Rainwater that is not captured directly, used by agriculture, or absorbed into the ground
becomes surface water.
2. Rooftop rainwater harvesting

It is a system of catching rainwaterwhere it falls. In rooftop harvesting, the roof becomes the

catchments,and the rainwateris collected from the roof of the house/building. It can either

be stored in a tank or diverted to artificial recharge system.This method is less expensive

and very effective and if implemented properly helps in augmenting the groundwater level

of the area.
Components of the Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting

The system mainly constitutesof following sub components:

Catchments

Transportation
First flush

Filter

Catchments
The surface that receives rainfall directly is the
catchment of rainwater harvesting system. It may Catchment Area
be terrace,courtyard, or paved or unpaved open Covered
Reservo
Stor e

ground. The terrace may be flat RCC/stone roof

=Outletp
or sloping roof. Therefore the catchment is the Roof Catchment System
area, which actually contributes rainwater to the
harvesting system. Figure 1: Rooftop Catchment System.

Transportation
Rainwater from rooftop should be carried through down take water pipes or drains to
storage/harvesting system. Water pipes should be UV resistant (ISI HDPEPVC pipes)
of required capacity. Water from slopingroofs could be caught through gutters and
down take pipe. At terraces, mouth ofthe each drainshould have wire mesh to restrict
floating material.
First Flush First-Flush Diversion
First flush a device used to flush off thewater received
is

in first shower. The first shower of rains needs to be

flushed-off to avoid contaminating storable/rechargeable To snk
SealingBat Foats Clesn

water by the probable contaminants of the atmosphere

and the catchment roof. It will also help in cleaning of silt OiversionChamber
Captura fush of rain
firse
and other material deposited on roof during dry seasons
Provisions of first rain separator should be made at outlet
et Capwith

of each drainpipe.

Filter
Filters are used for treatment of water to effectivelyremoveturbidity,colour and
microorganisms. After first flushing of rainfall, water should pass through filters.

A gravel, sand and 'netlon' mesh filter is designed and placed on top of the
storage tank. This filter is very important in keeping the rainwater in the storage
tank clean. It removes silt, dust, leaves and other organic matter from entering the
storage tank.

3
The filter media should be cleaned daily after every rainfall event.Clogged filters
prevent rainwater from easily entering the storage tank and the filter may
overflow. The sand or gravel media should be taken out and washed before it is
replaced in the filter.

CHARCOAL WATER FILTER:

A simple charcoal filter can be made in a drum or an earthen pot. The filter is

made of gravel,sand and charcoal, all ofwhich are easily available.

10 CM GRAVEL LAYER

10 CM CHARCOAL LAYER

25 CM SAND LAYER

25 CM GRAVEL LAYER

SAND FILTERS:

Sand filters have commonly available sand as filter media. Sand filters are easy

and inexpensive to construct. These filters canbe emnployed fortreatment ofwater

to effectively remove turbidity (suspended particles like silt and clay), colour and

microorganism.

20CH GRAVEL LAYER

30CM SAND LAYER

20 CH GRAVEL LAYER

POROUS DED
Advantages of Rainwater Harvesting

1. Easy to Maintain: Utilizing the rainwater harvesting system provides certain

advantages to the community.First of all, harvesting rainwater allows us to better

utilize an energy resource. It is important to do so since drinking water is not

easily renewable and it helps in reducing wastage. Systems for the collection of

rainwater are based on simple technology.

The overall cost of their installation and operation is much lesser than that of

water purifying or pumping systems.Maintenance requires little time and energy.

The result is the collection of water that can be used in substantial ways even

without purification.

2. Reducing Water Bills: Water collected in the rainwater harvesting

system can be put to use for several non-drinking functions as well. For many
families and small businesses, this leads to a large reduction in their utilities bill.

On an industrial scale, harvesting rainwater can provide the needed amounts of

water for many operations to take place smoothly without having to deplete the

nearby water sources.

It also lessens the burden of soil erosion in a number of areas, allowing the land
to thrive once again. In fact, it can also be stored in cisterns foruse during times

when water supplies are at an all time low.

3. Suitable for Irrigation: As such, there is little requirement for building new
infrastructure for the rainwater harvesting system. Most rooftops act as a

workable catchment area, which can be linked to the harvesting system. This also

lessens the impact on the environment by reducing use of fuel based machines.
Rainwater is free from many chemicals found in ground water, making it suitable

for irrigation and watering gardens. In fact, storing large reservoirs of harvested

water is a greatidea for areas where forest fires and bush fres are common during

summer months.

4. Reduces Demand on Ground Water: With increase in population, the

demand for water is also continuously increasing. The end result is that many
residential colonies and industries are extracting ground water to fulfill their daily
demands.This has led to depletion of ground water which has gone to significant
low level in some areas where there is huge water scarcity.

5.Reduces Floods and Soil Erosion: During rainy season,rainwater is collected

in large storage tanks which also helps in reducing floods in some low lying areas.

Apart from this, it also helps in reducing soil erosion and contamination ofsurface

water with pesticides and fertilizers from rainwater run-off which results in

cleaner lakes and ponds.

6.Can be Used for Several Non-drinkingPurposes: Rainwater when collected

can be used for several non-drinking functions including flushing toilets, washing

clothes, watering the garden, washing cars etc. It is unnecessary to use pure

drinking water if all we need to use it for some otherpurpose rather than drinking.