With an aim to make Indore number 1 in the all-India rainwater harvesting survey, Indore Municipal Corporation has decided to put in 50,000 more rainwater harvesting systems in the city within a time span of the next three months.
A plan was discussed during a seminar of around 300 Jalmitra, Commissioner Singh addressing the gathering said, “Under Jalshakti scheme of the government, around 7,000 rainwater harvesting systems were installed in the city and as a result of which the city improved its ranking from 11th spot to sixth in all-India survey for harvesting work.”
What is Rainwater Harvesting?
Rainwater Harvesting is a term used for capturing rain where it falls or capturing the runoff in your own village or town. And, at the same time, it is to ensure that that water remains clean by not allowing polluting activities to take place in the catchment.
Hence, water harvesting can be undertaken through a variety of ways
- Capturing runoff from rooftops
- Capturing runoff from local catchments
- Conserving water through watershed management
All these aforementioned techniques can serve the following purposes:
- Provide drinking water
- Provide irrigation water
- Increase groundwater recharge
- Reduce stormwater discharges, urban floods and overloading of sewage treatment plants
Rain being the first form of water in the hydrological cycle, water harvesting is the process of direct accumulation of rainwater. The rainwater which is collected can be stored for either direct use or it can be recharged into the groundwater as well.
In current times, our dependency is on the secondary sources of water. In the process, we have become oblivious to the fact that rain is the ultimate source that feeds all these secondary sources and in turn, we remain ignorant of its value. Water harvesting means to realize the importance of rain and to make optimum use of the rainwater at the place where it falls.
How much Water can be Harvested?
Urban Scenario
The total amount of water that is received in the form of rainfall over an area is called the rainwater endowment of the area. Out of this, the amount that can be effectively harvested is called the water harvesting potential.
Water harvesting potential = Rainfall (mm) x Collection efficiency
The collection efficiency amounts for the fact that all the rainwater falling over an area cannot be effectively harvested, because of evaporation, spillage, etc. Factors like the runoff coefficient and the first-flush wastage are taken into account when estimated the collection efficiency.
Rural Scenario
Community-based rainwater harvesting in rural areas of India – the paradigm of the past – has in it as much strength today as it ever did before. It is, in fact, only with this rudimentary technology that people are able to survive in water-scarce areas. Recognizing this fact, our ancestors had learned to harvest water in a number of ways:
They harvested the raindrop directly. From rooftops, they collected water and stored it in tanks built in their courtyards. From open community lands, they collected the rain and stored it in artificial wells.
They harvested monsoon runoff by capturing water from swollen streams during the monsoon season and stored it in various forms of water bodies.
They aim to install 50,000 more rainwater harvesting systems in the city in the next three months so that the city could top in the all India survey, said Singh. We have faith in residents in extending cooperation in our mission. Jalmitras should aware people about rainwater harvesting, he said.
IMC assigned task of harvesting system installation to different agencies on zone basis and Jalmitras, who will get most success, would be awarded, said the commissioner.
Quoting popular news sources in the city, MC chairman Ajay Singh Naruka said, “Jalshakti Mission began on the appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, under which rainwater would be harvested for future usage.”
We are trying to recharge the water table by installing a water harvesting system so that water used could be recharged, added IMC chairman Ajay Singh Naruka.
We are fetching water for Indore from the Narmada at huge cost. There were leakages in piped supply from Jalood to Indore, which was repaired under the Amrut scheme, said in-charge of waterworks committee Balram Verma.
Urban centers in India are facing an ironical situation today. At one end, there is the acute water scarcity whilst on the other end; the streets are often flooded during the monsoons. This has led to serious problems with the quality and quantity of groundwater.
The irony is this is despite the fact that all these cities receive good rainfall. However, this rainfall occurs during short spells of high intensity. Because of this reason i.e such short duration of heavy rain, the majority of the rainfall falling on the surface tends to flow away rapidly leaving very little for recharge of groundwater. Most of the traditional water harvesting systems in cities have been neglected and fallen into disuse, worsening the urban water scenario. One of the solutions to the urban water crisis is rainwater harvesting – capturing the runoff.
This is made use of on a large scale in cities like Chennai, Bangalore, and Delhi wherein rainwater harvesting is a part of the state policy. Elsewhere, countries like Germany, Japan, the United States, and Singapore, to are adopting rainwater harvesting.
Why Harvest Rain?
Rainwater harvesting acts as an ideal solution for all the areas where there is inadequate groundwater supply or surface resources are either lacking or insufficient.
The process serves as a helping hand in utilizing the primary source of water and prevents the runoff from going into sewer or storm drains, thereby reducing the load on treatment plants.
By recharging water into the aquifers, Rainwater Harvesting helps in improving the quality of existing groundwater through dilution.
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