Water Harvesting

In this vast universe of ours, the only known place to support life is our earth, and a major
factor that helps in the survival of all living creatures is water. Water is a basic necessity of life
without which all the beautiful flora and fauna on this planet cannot exist. It is also named as the
‘Elixir of Life’ by Sir C.V. Raman. Life on earth started from water. In case of humans, civilizations
began to form where there was water. People obtained water mainly in the form of rain. They
utilized it according to their needs. Rainforests began to develop. But rainfall was not equally
distributed to all regions of the earth. Some places had scarce, while others got heavy rainfall. So,
people had to think wisely while using water. To this day a lot of people, for instance farmers, are
directly reliant on water for their livelihoods. If the rain doesn’t fall for even one day, the farmers
suffer a heavy loss. Water is used in many day-to-day activities like cooking, bathing, washing, and so
on. While doing all these activities, a lot of water gets wasted. So, we need to make up for the lost
water somehow. That is why we use ‘Water Harvesting’. It is one of the most commonly used
methods to save water, which is being used in South Asia and other countries for many thousands of
years.

Rainwater harvesting refers to storing of rainwater for various uses. The notion behind
rainwater harvesting is to not waste the rainwater and prevent it from running off. This method is
very useful considering the water scarcity that is happening in India. Also, it is very easy and
economical. Following the water scarcity in so many parts of the world, water harvesting has
become a necessity. It should be practiced by people of all regions. Additionally, rainwater
harvesting holds more importance than we actually think it does. As the surface water is not enough
to meet the demands of the people, we can get additional help from rainwater. Most people now
depend on groundwater for their uses. But it is decreasing day by day because of excessive usage,
deforestation, urbanization and more. Thus, if we practice rainwater harvesting, it can maintain the
level of the ground water. Moreover, it prevents water from logging on roads. It also reduces the
chances of soil erosion.

There are primarily two types of rainwater harvesting methods. The first one is surface
runoff harvesting. In this method, the water that runs off the surface is focused on. In this method,
we can collect the surface runoff water by making a path that directs to a storage space like a tank or
a pond. This can help store water in a large amount which can be used later for a lot of work. Next,
we have rooftop rainwater harvesting. Here, the roof of a house or building works as a rainwater
collection unit. They have pipes attached to them which direct the water in a pit or a tank. This is a
very economical and efficient way to harvest rainwater.

Rainwater harvesting is used to provide drinking water, domestic water, water for livestock,
a way to replenish groundwater levels. In regards to urban agriculture, water harvesting in urban
areas reduces the impact of runoff and flooding. It has agricultural uses too. It can be used for
watering gardens in our homes and crop plants in agricultural fields. These reduce the reliance of
garden owners and farmers on other sources of water supply, thus saving them money. Rainwater
harvesting has various benefits and uses; however, harvesting systems have to operate and maintain
to ensure water quality. Water also needs to be filtered and purified for use.