Rainwater Harvesting

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The ancient ingenuity of water harvesting
Technical manual for Rainwater Harvesting

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is a simple method by which rainfall is collected for future usage. The collected rainwater may be stored, utilised in different ways or directly used for recharge purposes. With depleting groundwater levels and fluctuating climate conditions, RWH can go a long way to help mitigate these effects. Capturing the rainwater can help recharge local aquifers, reduce urban flooding and most importantly ensure water availability in water-scarce zones. Though the term seems to have picked up greater visibility in the last few years, it was, and is even today, a traditional practice followed in rural India. Some ancient rainwater harvesting methods followed in India include madakas, ahar pynes, surangas, taankas and many more.

This water conservation method can be easily practiced in individual homes, apartments, parks, offices and temples too, across the world. Farmers have recharged their dry borewells, created water banks in drought areas, greened their farms, increased sustainability of their water resources and even created a river. Technical know how for the rooftop RWH with direct storage can be availed for better implementation. RWH An effective method in water scarce times, it is also an easily doable practice. Practical advice is available in books written by Indukanth Ragade & Shree Padre, talks by Anupam Mishra and other easy to follow fun ways. 

Read our FAQ on Rainwater Harvesting and have many basic questions answered.

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This study by IWMI explores the theory and practice of adaptive management based on a detailed field study in the Lower Bhavani project command area.
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International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
Mats Lannerstad
Posted on 25 Aug, 2011 11:07 PM

Bhavani

To what extent farmers and water resource managers already practice adaptive management and whether it is practiced in an optimal manner or could there be areas for improvement based on recent advancements in the theory of adaptive management are some of the questions that are particularly appropriate in the light of rapid changes in river basin water use and also in relation to basin closure.

This paper draws on the development and use of water resources in the Lower Bhavani Project (LBP), with the LBP reservoir and the 84,000 hectare (ha) LBP command area. The project diverts water from the Bhavani River, a tributary of the Cauvery River in Tamil Nadu.

Water quality study and cost-benefit analysis of rainwater harvesting in Kuttanad, Kerala
The study reveals the urgency of water scarcity and sheds light on the potential remediation strategies.
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Posted on 25 Aug, 2011 02:23 PM

KuttanadThis thesis by Christina Tang for the Center of Environmental Studies, Brown University deals with a study of water quality and attempts to ascertain the net benefits or costs from rainwater harvesting under a variety of scenarios for households in various water supply conditions.

Eighty percent of the 7,00,000 citizens of Kuttanad, a region in the coastal State of Kerala have no access to clean water. In Kuttanad, intensive untreated human sewage and agricultural activities have caused severe surface water contaminations. At the same time, other sources of freshwater are unreliable for drinking: groundwater is acidic due to the soil conditions and iron leaching; freshwater from public tap is infrequent; and water supply from private vendors is extremely expensive.

Groundwater, self-supply and poor urban dwellers - A review with case studies of Bangalore and Lusaka by IIED
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Posted on 24 Aug, 2011 08:32 PM

It investigates the difficulties they face and emphasizes the need for better integration of groundwater in the planning and management of urban water resources.

Delhi Water Privatization - WASH News and policy update
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Posted on 03 Aug, 2011 06:20 PM

Content courtesy: India WASH Forum

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Posted on 27 Jul, 2011 05:58 PM

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"No full stops for this rainman" - Interview with Shree Padre, farmer, water journalist and rainwater harvesting "evangelist" based in Kerala (2007)
Surplus water and deficit water are like two sides of a coin, and the processes of managing “surplus” water could not just impact people living in the dry lands, but also offer some pointers for those working on issues of desertification and drought. The insights that emerge from Shree Padre’s quest to uncover scattered success stories, disseminate information or analyse success itself, reveal that the community can be both the driving force and the beneficiary of better water management.
Namitha Dipak
Posted on 14 Jul, 2011 10:41 AM

Author: Namitha Dipak, Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan 


Shree Padre, farmer, water journalist, and rainwater harvesting “evangelist” based in Kerala, IndiaShree Padre, farmer, water journalist, and rainwater harvesting “evangelist” based in Kerala, India

Optimal water resource management in water stress condition : A Newsletter of AFPRO Volume 2, Issue 2 of July 2011
Action for Food Production (AFPRO) newsletter - Volume 2, Issue 2 of July 2011, focuses on water scarcity, drought and salinity, which are among the most important environmental constraints related to food security in rainfed agriculture systems.
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Posted on 07 Jul, 2011 11:29 AM

AFPROSmall and marginal farmers are most affected from water stress situations, and need simple, sustainable and effective measures for water conservation and management.

NRAA invites EOI for empanelment of agencies with expertise in the area of RWH and water conservation – Apply by July 25, 2011
Posted on 29 Jun, 2011 12:30 PM

National Rainfed Area AuthorityNational Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA) has been created to harness and harmonise tremendous potentials of the rainfed agriculture by converting weaknesses into strengths and threats into opportunities by appropriate policies, programmes, professionalism, capacity building, monitoring and evaluation.

Down the drain – Exploring traditional water systems - A film by Tarun Jayaram
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Posted on 21 Jun, 2011 10:41 AM

 

These are some of the questions which led Tarun Jayaram, the film-maker to explore traditional water systems in the country. From the documentary’s opening moments, the director engages us with a beautifully shot array of footages ranging from pilgrims taking a holy dip of Ganges to beautiful baolis and tankas of Rajasthan to the ancient town of Hampi in Karnataka, while establishing how rivers have been an integral part of Indian culture and how its rich tradition of harvesting rainwater needs to be re-established to deal with the present day water crisis. Over the refreshing images and soothing audio, it advocates the need for community participation in rejuvenating the traditional methods of rainwater harvesting. 

Rainwater harvesting in urban areas of Karnataka (Government of Karnataka) - Draft policy (2006)
A document for conserving rainwater and facilitating rainwater harvesting in urban areas of Karnataka with a view to conserve depleting groundwater resources.
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Posted on 18 Jun, 2011 10:16 PM

The Rainwater Harvesting Policy (2006) for Karnataka state has evolved out of the need for conserving rainwater and providing facilities for rainwater harvesting, in the context of the growing rate of urbanisation in the state and the rapid depletion of groundwater resources, leading to a water crisis.

The objective of the urban rainwater harvesting policy is to ensure that the available water is put to best possible use in the state by encouraging involvement of  multiple level of stakeholders such  as government and private institutions as well as  citizens, in the appropriate management of rainwater.

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