INTRODUCTION
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.. 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.
ADVANTAGES OF RAINWATER HARVESTING
1. To meet the ever increasing demand for water. Water harvesting to recharge the
groundwater enhances the availability of groundwater at specific place and time and
thus assures a continuous and reliable access to groundwater.
2. To reduce the runoff which chokes storm drains and to avoid flooding of roads.
3. To reduce groundwater pollution and to improve the quality of groundwater through
dilution when recharged to groundwater thereby providing high quality water, soft
and low in minerals.
4. Provides self-sufficiency to your water supply and to supplement domestic water
requirement during summer and drought conditions.
5. It reduces the rate of power consumption for pumping of groundwater. For every 1 m
rise in water level, there is a saving of 0.4 KWH of electricity.
6. Reduces soil erosion in urban areas
7. The rooftop rainwater harvesting is less expensive, easy to construct, operate and
maintain.
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
Three most important components, which need to be evaluated for designing the rainwater
harvesting structure, are:
1. Hydrogeology of the area including nature and extent of aquifer, soil cover,
topography, depth to water levels and chemical quality of ground water
2. Area contributing for runoff i.e. how much area and land use pattern, whether
industrial, residential or green belts and general built up pattern of the area
3. Hydro-meteorological characters like rainfall duration, general pattern and intensity
of rainfall.
COMPONENTS OF RWH SYSTEMS
A RWH system has three components:
• the catchment; • the collection system; and • the utilization system
• . Catchment: Catchment refers to
the prepared surface area the
runoff from which is collected.
• Catchment can be the rooftop
area of households, buildings or
designated ground area.
• If the surface is impervious and
smooth, the runoff occurs
immediately. If the surface is
pervious, the run-off occurs only
after the surface is saturated.
Several factors affect runoff, which include:
• Intensity of rainfall- the more the intensity, the more and sooner the runoff
• Duration (the length of time) of rainfall - the longer the duration, the more will be the water
available for harvesting
• Timing of rainfall- during the first rainfall, more water is used up in wetting or percolating the
catchment, and the runoff will be more if a second rainfall occurs soon after the first
• The surface characteristics - in harder catchment area with smooth surface the runoff will be
more.
COLLECTION SYSTEM:
This refers to the arrangement made for collecting and storing the rainfall with minimal quantitative
loss. In general, collection channel/ pipe covering the catchment,conduits and a storage structure if
the water is not used immediately, constitute the collection system
• Gutters channels all around the edge of a sloping roof to collect and transport
rainwater to the storage tank.
• Gutters can be semi-circular or rectangular and could be made using:
• Locally available material such as plain galvanised iron sheet (20 to 22 gauge), folded
to required shapes.
• Conduits are pipelines or drains that carry rainwater from the catchment or rooftop
area to the harvesting system.
UTILIZATION SYSTEM:
• This is the arrangement required to make use
of the collected rainwater for gainful
purposes. This may be a hose, a channel,
pipes, perforated pipes or drip irrigation
system.
• If rainwater is to be used for irrigation of a
landscape, then the collection system itself
can be designed as a distribution system that
diverts rainwater towards this area.
• For RWH systems with flood control objectives, this may involve a runoff distribution
network with elaborate open channels, gates and diverters to direct the water from
one area to another
PLANNING AND DESIGN OF RWH SYSTEMS
• The estimation of quantity of water that can be harvested is the first step in planning
and design of RWH systems.
• The quantity depends on the area of catchment and the annual average rainfall of
the region.
• For a totally self-sufficient water harvesting system, the amount of water harvested
and the water demand of the utilization activity must be in balance.
• Supply of rainwater can be estimated from the monthly average rainfall data
available from the local meteorological or public works department, and texture and
extend of the catchment area. The surface texture affects the runoff coefficient and
hence the quantity.
• The rainwater yield from a catchment is given by: Monthly Yield (m'') = Average
monthly rainfall (cm) x Area of the catchment (m2 ) x Runoff coefficient for the
catchment surface x 10-2
RECHARGE STRUCTURES
Rainwater may be charged into the groundwater aquifers through any suitable structures like
dugwells, borewells, recharge trenches and recharge pits.
1. Recharging of dugwells and abandoned tubewells
Rainwater that is collected on the rooftop of the
building is diverted by drainpipes to a settlement or
filtration tank, from which it flows into the recharge
well.
If a tubewell is used for recharging, then the casing
(outer pipe) should preferably be a slotted or
perforated pipe so that more surface area is
available for the water to percolate. Developing a borewell would increase its recharging
capacity
If a dugwell is used for recharge, the well lining should have openings (weep-holes) at
regular intervals to allow seepage of water through the sides. Dugwells should be covered
to prevent mosquito breeding and entry of leaves and debris. The bottom of recharge wells
should be desilted annually to maintain the intake capacity.
[Link] of service tubewells.
In this case the rooftop runoff is not directly led into the service tubewells, to avoid chances
of contamination of groundwater. Instead rainwater is collected in a recharge well, which is
a temporary storage tank (located near the service tubewell ), with a borehole, which is
shallower than the water table.
3. Soakaways / Percolation pit
Percolation pits, one of the easiest and most effective means of harvesting rainwater, are
generally not more than 60 x 60 x 60 cm pits, (designed on the basis of expected runoff as
described for settlement tanks), filled with pebbles or brick jelly and river sand, covered
with perforated concrete slabs wherever necessary
[Link] trenches
A recharge trench is a continuous trench excavated in the ground and refilled with porous
media like pebbles, boulders or broken bricks. A recharge trench can be 0.5 m to 1 m wide
and 1 m to 1.5 m deep. The length of the recharge trench is decided as per the amount of
runoff expected.
[Link] troughs
To collect the runoff from paved or unpaved areas draining out of a compound, recharge
troughs are commonly placed at the entrance of a residential/institutional [Link]
structures are similar to recharge trenches except for the fact that the excavated portion is
not filled with filter materials.