India

It is preferable to filter the rainwater before storing it. If leaves and other organic material enter the storage tank, they decompose and support bacterial growth in the tank. Dirt and other debris, if not filtered out, can cause blocks in the plumbing system when the stored rainwater is used.

Gutters are pipes around the edge of the roof (usually sloped roofs) that collect and transport rainwater from the roof. Downtake pipes are cylindrical pipes that transport the water down, directly from the roof or from the gutters, until the storage tank.

Catchment types
Roof catchments: The rooftop is usually the most common catchment surface and can be flat or sloping.

Catch me when you can: A power point presentation that runs you through the 'Why' and 'How' of rainwater harvesting in schools.

Mark Charmer from Akvo writes about his meeting with C. Sharada Prasad (aka "CSP"), one of the team at India Water Portal.

EEDS has successfully developed various models of light weight concrete composites Ecosan pans with the support of UNICEF, New Delhi and Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Sweden. These products were unveiled at the SACOSAN conference held in New Delhi recently.

Vishwanath calls on all to set aside the "yuck" factor and take a rational view of the use of urine as a fertilizer. From a open discussion he goes on to list out the advantages of using plant nutrient rich urine as fertilizer and provides the maths behind his validation!! Write in with your take in the comments!

IIT Delhi and Vigyan Vijay Foundation have been implementing a pilot project on Waterless Urinals. The project is supported by Stockholm Environmental Institute and UNICEF. These posters below have been developed as part of that project. The project aims to develop appropriate solutions for scaling-up Waterless Urinals at public places, institutions and homes. One of the core objectives of the project is to advocate waterless urinals as an integral component of toilets especially at homes whereby water and energy can be conserved and the environment is protected. We hope these posters will be of immense value to general public and practitioners looking for undertaking waterless urinals. For more information contact Ramesh Sakthivel , ramsakthivel@yahoo.com

Click below to View Posters in full size :

Recognizing the value of wetlands and taking cognizance of the fact that there does not yet exist a formal system for conservation and management and wise-use of wetlands, the National Environment Policy (NEP), 2006 seeks to set up a legally enforceable regulatory mechanism for identified valuable wetlands to prevent their degradation, enhance their conservation and wise-use by all the stakehol

Suvrat Kher from the What's With The Climate? blog has an interesting post about the correlation between the groundwater map of India & the incidence of farmer suicides in India. The post takes a look at the incidence of groundwater, the lack of proper management of available resources & the resulting socio - economic losses.