Rural rainwater harvesting
India is today facing a huge water crisis. Water sources are rendered unfit for use due to pollution and overexploitation. Large number of villages find it difficult to get clean drinking water.
India is today facing a huge water crisis. Water sources are rendered unfit for use due to pollution and overexploitation. Large number of villages find it difficult to get clean drinking water.
Causes of water scarcity
Heavy extraction of water from rivers: Some of the rivers have no river flow left during the summer season as all the water in these rivers is used up for various purposes
Heavy extraction of groundwater: Due to heavy extraction, the ground water table is falling rapidly in many parts of the country.
Rainwater harvesting as an option
Villages like Sukhomajri, Ralegan Siddhi, several villages in Alwar district have clearly shown that if water harvesting and watershed development programmes are handled well, rainwater can serve the source of drinking water and also as an effort to eradicate rural poverty by generating rural employment and reduce migration from rural areas to urban areas.
Increased and assured water availability results in increased and stable agricultural production and improved animal husbandry, both of which serve as backbone of rural economy. Another interesting dimension of community-based rainwater harvesting is that it helps to generate a community spirit within a village.
Theoretically, the potential of water harvesting in meeting household needs is enormous. In reality, there is no village in India, which cannot meet its drinking water needs through rainwater harvesting.
The stream bund is 22 m long with maximum water depth of 3 m. the bottom is basaltic and sloping. Its storage capacity is 7-8 lakh litres, which is used for drinking and general purposes. To prevent contamination of water collected here, no direct contact with water is allowed. A simple set of pipes and taps has been installed alongside a platform for washing clothes and a drinking water trough for cattle.
Heavy extraction of water from rivers: Some of the rivers have no river flow left during the summer season as all the water in these rivers is used up for various purposes
Heavy extraction of groundwater: Due to heavy extraction, the ground water table is falling rapidly in many parts of the country.
Rainwater harvesting as an option
Villages like Sukhomajri, Ralegan Siddhi, several villages in Alwar district have clearly shown that if water harvesting and watershed development programmes are handled well, rainwater can serve the source of drinking water and also as an effort to eradicate rural poverty by generating rural employment and reduce migration from rural areas to urban areas.
Increased and assured water availability results in increased and stable agricultural production and improved animal husbandry, both of which serve as backbone of rural economy. Another interesting dimension of community-based rainwater harvesting is that it helps to generate a community spirit within a village.Theoretically, the potential of water harvesting in meeting household needs is enormous. In reality, there is no village in India, which cannot meet its drinking water needs through rainwater harvesting.
The stream bund is 22 m long with maximum water depth of 3 m. the bottom is basaltic and sloping. Its storage capacity is 7-8 lakh litres, which is used for drinking and general purposes. To prevent contamination of water collected here, no direct contact with water is allowed. A simple set of pipes and taps has been installed alongside a platform for washing clothes and a drinking water trough for cattle.
