Rain Water Harvesting - Need of an hour…

1. Rain Water Harvesting - Need of an hour… RWH - How Far It Can Solve The Problems Of Water Scarcity Prepared by: Raju, Deepti and Ruchir Jeevantirth, Juna Koba, Gandhinagar-382009 jeevantirth@hotmail.com

2. Looming Danger By the year 2030, over 60% of all people, or some 4.9 billion, will live in cities- a virtual time bomb waiting to explode- in terms of water, sanitation and the health hazards.

3. Population not served with improved* water supply *Improved: • Household connection • Public standpipe • Borehole • Protected well • Protected spring • Rainwater collection Source: WHO Global Water Supply and Sanitation Assessment 2000 Total un-served: 1.1 billion • 443 million school days each year are lost to water-related illnesses. • Millions of women spend up to four hours a day collecting water. Source: Human Development Repost 2006 Some 1.8 million children die each year as a result of diarrhea —which is 4,900 deaths a day.

4. India Scenario India has 16% of world’s population while having only 2% of land and 4% of fresh water resources Water availability / Per Person Year Cu. M. 1951 3450 1999 1250 2050 760 India: 5,87,000 Villages Can harvest Runoff from average access of 340 hectares or a rainfall endowment of 3.75 billion liters of water. (Source-EXCEL) POTENTIAL OF RWH IS ENORMOUS

5. Gujarat – A Water Scarce State Every third year is a drought year… North Gujarat is Absolutely Water Scarce, Saurashtra and Kutch are Water Scarce. Major Problems: GW Depletion Excessive Fluorides Salinity Ingress Desertification With all the utilizable surface water and 90% ground water harnessed, the gap will be around 11.5 BCM in 2025

6. Five Types of Water Civilization-River Based Civilization • Rives flowing from Central Saurashtra’s hilly area like BHADAR, MACHHU etc. were protecting Salinity ingress from Costal line and river from Aravali were protecting North Gujarat from Desertification. Don’t Link the Rivers, Link People with the Rivers! Eastern hilly area of ARAVALI, VINDHYACHAL-SAPUTARA and SAHYADRI provided water through BANAS, SABARMATI, MAHI, NARMADA, and TAPI to Main Land of Gujarat. Source: Sabar Sena, JEEVANTIRTH, Gujarat

7. Five Types of Water Civilization-Tank Based Civilization 6,000 Village Tanks were built in North Gujarat during SiddhrajJaysingh era. Sadly neglected water tanks has lost their utility. Traditional methods were scrapped by vested interests. 100 years back 11 to 12 lacks village water tanks existed in India.

8. Five Types of Water Civilization-Water Mining Based Civilization Over extraction of GW has affected about 4.06 million ha. (21% of the state) in 74 talukas of 14 districts. (57 talukas fall in “Dark Zone”) Source: Gujarat Ecology Commission Struggle for Ground Water. Umedpur village of Sabarkantha spent unorganisedly Rs. 64 lacks in 40 years. 1960-’70 Well deepening 12 lacks 1970-’80 Oil Engines 12 lacks 1970-’85 H/V Holes in Wells 8 lacks 1980-’85 Electric Motors 15 lacks 1985-’99 Tube-wells 17 lacks

9. Five Types of Water Civilization-Pipeline & Canal Based Civilization News Flash!!! Dharoi DW Scheme running in loss, 40 crore electricity bill unpaid. DW problems persist in 42% villages where Narmada pipeline water has reached. (Source: Civic Monitoring of the Largest DW Projects in the World -Report) Investment in Rural DW Supply in Gujarat 1982-’99 Sate plan 860.36 Crore Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme418.62 Crore Scarcity Water Supply Plan 843.75 Crore Narmada Canal Based Water Supply Project 7,400 Crore Running Cost will be 511.86 Cr. Yearly!

10. Five Types of Water Civilization-RWH Based Civilization

11. What is RWH? Water Harvesting is the process of the intercepting storm water runoff from a surface and putting it to beneficial use. Water harvesting From a tree trunk. Rain water is harvested from big tree trunks using banana fiber tied around the tree trunk and directed to a large clay pot. This water can be put to domestic use or for irrigating crops. The Simplest form of RWH Anil Agarwal conceptualized and edited the CSE publications Dying Wisdom – which explores the tremendous potential of India's traditional water harvesting systems – and Making Water Everybody's Business - which documents water harvesting technologies that are being practiced even today by communities in various parts of the country.

12. Can RWH solve the problems of Water Scarcity? • Measuring (un)sustainability The Ecofootprint approach • Average European needs 3 planets • Average American needs 5 planets NO! if… We do not change our consumption pattern. Source:

13. Can RWH solve the problems of Water Scarcity? Let’s make a paradigm shift from surface storage system to under ground storage system, flood irrigation to soil moisture technique, wasteful consumption pattern to judicial use of water. YES! if… We change our Life Style.

14. Earth – The Water Planet The earth has so much water that it can cover up 3,000 meter thick layer on its surface!

15. World’s Largest Water Purifying System The nature has not changed its method of giving fresh water over a millions of years… -AnupamMishra, Gandhi Peace Foundation, Delhi. Water Cycle

16. Rain Water -Don’t lose it, Use It! We need to recognize that the source of all water on earth is not the river, is not the underground aquifer, is not the lake, well or stream. Rain is the source of all water.

17. Rain Water Harvesting Principles Put harvested water to beneficial use Adjust and Maintain your systems as needed Start managing water at the top of the watershed (Ridge to Valley) Create multiple small watersheds Collect, Slow and Infiltrate the water Prepare for Overflow Mulch to reduce evaporation

18. Why Harvest Rainwater? • Practicing RWH is valuable under different disaster conditions - In floods or droughts. Save Money! Save Energy! Save Water! Be Self Reliant! Reduce Erosion! Improve Water Quality! Avoid Diseases! Disaster Mitigation!

19. Drinking Water Scarcity Water Security and Insecurity is a product of Nature Plus culture, Not just a given of nature… -Vandana Shiva Water Stress

20. RWH – A Time Tested Technique Clay house at SANA’A with WH / Saving System • RWH is one of the most ancient activities in the history of human-kind. 3,000 years old RWH system in YEMEN

21. Rajasthan – Desert or Water Culture? • There can be Water Scarcity in high rainfall region and adequate water in low rainfall regions like the Rajasthan Desert. Rajasthan manages the water it receives so parsimoniously, one can say, drop by drop.

22. Prioritization of areas for RWH • Ground Water Stress Areas • Decadal long term decline of water levels • Ground Water quality deterioration • Coastal areas • Drought prone areas • Flood prone areas • Hilly areas Rain Water Harvesting is a applicable everywhere from Cherapunji to Sahara Desert

23. Water Harvesting – Design Process • Adopt an integrated design process • Analyze site characteristics and conditions • Identify potential to use harvested water and other site resources • Develop an integrated design for the site • Prepare detailed design The Rain Water Harvesting System needs to be designed in a way that it does not occupy large space for collecting and recharge system

24. Conceptual Techniques of RWH IN – SITU CONSERVATION STORAGE IN HARVESTING IN AQUIFERS SOIL PROFILE FOR DIRECT FOR GW FOR SOIL MOISTURE UTILIZATION AUGMENTATION BUILD UP

25. Water Harvesting Techniques: Roof Rain Water Harvesting Source: SOPAC

26. Water Harvesting Techniques: Microbasins To support single or multiple plants, (infiltration in 12 hr. to avoid mosquito problems)

27. Water Harvesting Techniques: French Drains Rock filled trenches to encourage rapid storm water infiltration through the sides, ends and bottom of the trench where soil and water meet.

28. Water Harvesting Techniques: Recharge Pit and Trench In alluvial areas where permeable rocks are exposed on the land surface or at very shallow depth, or where permeable strata is available at shallow depth. WH can be done through recharge Pit or Trench.

29. Water Harvesting Techniques: For Commercial Plots and Pathways Public Rights-of-Way Example

30. Water Harvesting Techniques: Gabion and Mulching To construct a semi permeable barrier to slow, but not to stop, the flow of storm water in a small water course To optimize Water Harvesting by reducing evaporation from soil In Gabion structure a small bund across the stream is made by putting locally available boulders in a mesh of steel wires and anchored to the stream banks

31. Water Harvesting Techniques: Shallow Aquifer Recharge Recharge Wells are specially constructed where large quantities of surface runoff is available within a very short period of heavy rainfall for storm water management.

32. Water Harvesting Techniques: Deep Aquifer Recharge If the aquifer available at greater depth -say more than 20m- Recharge Tubewell is constructed to augment deep aquifer.

33. Water Harvesting Techniques: River Based RWH

34. Water Harvesting Techniques: Percolation Tank Artificial recharge to groundwater is a process by which the ground water reservoir is augmented at a rate exceeding that obtaining under natural conditions or replenishment. Any man-made scheme or facility that adds water to an aquifer may be considered to be an artificial recharge system.

35. Water Harvesting Techniques: In Field RWH

36. Water Harvesting Techniques: Hidden Dam A sub-surface dam intercepts or obstructs the flow of an aquifer and reduces the variation of the level of the GW table upstream.

37. Water Harvesting Techniques:Urban Context Soil Stabilization Cover disturbed soil to reduce erosion Turf Mats Create and plant a shallow depression Restore infiltration Permeable Pavement Allows for rainfall infiltration Low traffic surfaces (driveways, parking lots, walk ways) Slow water en route to streams to reduce flooding. Clean water en route to streams to reduce pollution.

38. R & D: Innovative ExperimentsGreening of deserts Growing of trees in arid regions Soil water evaporation using solar energy. Pit size ~ 1m X 1m X 0.6 m 100% seedlings survival. Five yr. data on 1000 m2. Leucaena, Prosopis and Neem grown. Avg. water prod. 300 ml/d per pit. Given to NDDB by NARI,Pune. Need for large scale experiments.

39. R & D: Innovative ExperimentsDew Harvesting Do The Dew!!! DEW Harvest to supplement DW sources in Arid Coastal Belt of Kutch Dew yield from Ashramshala – Kothara (150 Sq. M. Sheet Roof – 2004) Month Yield (Lit.) Dew Nights March 393 18 23 liters per April 487 21 dew – nights. Source: Dew Harvest – GirjaSharan

40. R & D: Innovative ExperimentsCloud Seeding Rain Dance – American Indians The deliberate treatment of certain clouds or cloud systems with the intent of affecting the precipitation process(es) within those clouds. New source of water? Artificial Rain Making! - Cloud Seeding? Remember Atmospheric Vapor is only 0.001% of the total water in the hydrosphere

41. Concept:Autonomous Sustainable Housing grow Plants & Vegetables compost Alberta Sustainable House eat consume general The World is facing water, energy and food crisis, but everything is available in my house! waste Source: ASH Calgary, Alberta, CANADA

42. Concept: EcoOffice Salient Features: Straw Bale Wall Construction Interior Non-Bearing Wall Framing maintains continuous air/vapor barriers Water Efficient Toilet Source: Airdie, Canada

43. Hydrological Constrains of RWH Per Capita Roof Area Rainfall Variability Physical Feasibility Economic Viability

44. Suggested Strategies for RWH • Adopt as a National Program • Proactive approaches • Invoke suitable legislative measures • Cautious and scientific approach • Integrate with suitable land-use practices • Adoption of conjunctive use measures • Build data base, Disseminate information • Conduct Techno-economic evaluation for large projects • Research and Development must go on • Water use ENERGY in large network transfers and treatment.

45. Allocate more resources for RWH Don’t put all your efforts on the backend! GW Recharge & RWH: 400 Crore ‘Rural Water Supply’: 2,000 Crore ‘SardarSarovar’: 40,000 Crore ‘Narmada Canal Based DW Project’: 7,400 Crore ‘Kalpsar’ : 53,000 Crore

46. Education for Sustainable Future “SabarMata” gives blessings to all and motivates to join ‘Sabar Sena’ for Water Conservation

47. Source: Janhit Foundation, Meerut: UP

48. Let us make this a movement Thank You…