Rain Water Harvesting

Introduction
The total amount of water on earth remains
constant. The rapid growth in population
together with the extension of irrigated
agriculture and industrial development, are
putting stress on the natural ecosystems. In
the face of growing problems, society has
begun to realize that it can no longer
subscribe to a use and discard philosophy
with any natural resource. One such resource
is WATER. To deal with it, a technique called
RAIN WATER HARVESTING was
introduced where rain water is used to meet
some of our daily needs.
What is Rainwater Harvesting
Rainwater harvesting is the accumulating and
storing, of rainwater. It has been used to
provide drinking water, water for livestock, water for
irrigation or to refill aquifers in a process
called ground water recharge.
The principle of collecting and using precipitation
from a catchments surface.
Rain water harvesting means to make optimum use of
rain water at the place where it falls i.e. conserve it and
not allow draining away and causing floods elsewhere.
Need of Rainwater
Harvesting
 Water is becoming scarce.
 Surface water is inadequate to meet
our demand.
 We have to depend on ground water.
 To reduce soil erosion.
 Groundwater is getting depleted and
polluted.
 Improves the ground water quality.
 Increasing population of India.
 Of the total water on earth, only 3%
constitutes freshwater. Rest is saline
water in the oceans.
 11% of the total fresh water on earth
is groundwater available upto a depth
of 800m which can be extracted for
use
Rainwater Harvesting
Techniques

Roof top rainwater

harvesting.

Surface runoff
harvesting .  
Roof Top Rain Water
Harvesting
In rooftop harvesting, the roof becomes the
catchments, and the rainwater is 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 ground water level of the area.
How to Harvest Rainwater
 Collect water from the rooftop.
 Draw it down from pipes.
 Filter the water.
 Store in a sump or tank for later use.
 Charge the groundwater through a soak pit.
 Lead the water into a well to increase ground water content.
Elements of Rooftop Rainwater
Harvesting

CATCHMENT

CONDUITS

FILTERS

STORAGE
FACILITY
 SURFACE RUNOFF
HARVESTING
 Harvesting of surface
runoff and storage of the
same into reservoirs
such as water pans
makes it available for
use when required.

 In this method of
collecting rainwater for
irrigation, water flowing
along the ground during
the rains will be
collected to a tank
below the surface of the
ground.
 TRADITIONAL RWH STRUCTURE
Taanka is a traditional rainwater
harvesting technique indigenous to the Thar desert
region of Rajasthan. A Taanka is a cylindrical paved
underground pit into which rainwater from rooftops,
courtyards or artificially prepared catchments flows.

BAWODI:
 Traditional step wells are
called vavadi in Gujarat, or
baoris or bavadis in
Rajasthan and northern
India.
 They were secular
structures from which
everyone could draw water.
 Most of them are defunct
today.
Kunds
 Covered underground tank,
developed primarily for tackling
drinking water problems.
 Usually constructed with local
materials or cement, kunds were
more prevalent in regions where
groundwater is saline.
 Before the onset of rains every
year, meticulous care was taken
to clean up the catchment of the
kunds.
 The proximity of a kund to the
house or village saved time and
effort in searching for drinking
water.
Ooranis
Designed to harvest
and store rainwater
to meet the drinking
needs of a
community.
Created by
excavating the soil
which is then used
to form bunds
around the area.
More than 39000
ooranis in
Tamilnadu state
alone
Paar System
The rainwater flows
from the agar
(catchment area)
and in the process
percolates into the
sandy soil.
Kuis or beris are dug
5 to 12 m deep to
access the water.
Rainwater harvested
through the paar
technique is known
as patali paani.
 Advantages of RWH
 RWH is the ideal solution for
all water requirements.
 Increase in ground water level.
 Reduces flooding of roads .
 Reduced soil erosion.
 Improves the ground water
quality.
 Low cost and easy to maintain.
 Reduces water and electricity
bills
Disadvantages of RWH
Seasonal nature and uncertainty of rainwater supply

depending on the region in the world.

Capital costs .

Regular maintenance and cleaning is essential for

successful operation.
Rain Water Harvesting

Noble Goal
THANKYOU