The need of the Hour – Rainwater Harvesting

Water is the lifeline of all living beings, and it is a known fact that no one can deny it. But are we respecting and giving it the correct priority that water deserves? Are we really harvesting all the rainwater that’s bestowed on us? Do you agree that the need of the hour is rainwater harvesting?

When the Well’s dry, we know the WORTH of the WATER      – Benjamin Franklin

Our elders know the fact that without water, no one can survive, and that’s the reason why water has been given the status of a God. If you happen to refer to our ancient scriptures or the daily rituals of our ancestors, you can easily understand the significance of water. All the rivers were given human forms and are worshipped once every twelve years (called pushkarams), and early in the morning, we offer water to our deities while saying our prayers (Anjali – taking water in both hands and dropping it down while praying to the god).

But we, as an entire nation, have developed a very callous attitude towards the water and were wasting/polluting it without even considering it. So now we are at a junction wherein we, as the entire nation, would face an acute water shortage in the next five years. That is why even our honorable Prime Minister has addressed this water shortage and the importance of its conservation in his first Mann ki Baat season 2.0 address last weekend.

We are utilizing only 8% of the rainfall every year with the help of dams that the government has constructed. But most of the rain falls in the so-called urban jungles, where the rainwater flows down from our apartment/house terraces into drainage canals as we are not using any of it. If we can harvest this rainwater, our urban cities will never have a water shortage. Are we into this game for the rainwater harvesting this year, at least before a significant drought hits us?

There are very simple to complex Rainwater harvesting systems based on how your house is located. We can use this rainwater falling on our terraces and recharge our borewells. We can build a big sump to store this water or store it in our buckets and barrels.

I am giving a few simple tips we have implemented in our house for rainwater harvesting. Last week, we had a slight rainfall in Chennai city for around 30-45 minutes. We can harvest 350 liters of water from that rainfall with the proper apparatus. Don’t you think it’s incredible?

We have an empty area in our headroom on the terrace of 50 SQFT. We capture the water that falls on the top of the headroom alone into a water tank and use it to water our plants. This 350 liters of water is sufficient for us to water our organic terrace garden for three/to four days after the rains. The overall total cost for this setup is around 5000 rupees. But with this setup, we can save 1000 liters during the monsoon.

This man from Chennai has also saved water, just like us, with an expense far below us. He has saved 225 liters within 10 minutes of rain for just 250 rupees. Isn’t it wonderful?

So, when are you taking up the rainwater harvesting exercise in your apartment houses? Many people have proved time and again that we really don’t need huge investments or the government’s support to become sustainable. We as individuals have to decide and start the movement, and then things would start happening. That is what even our dear Prime Minister has stated.

Another example of this theory is Mr. Solar Suresh, who has an entirely independent house in Chennai, wherein he doesn’t even depend on government agencies for power, water, or drainage. Please click here to read my earlier blog about him.

I hope this small article will encourage you to save some water using more straightforward rainwater harvesting techniques at your home, if not on a bigger scale. In the comments below, please let me know how you plan to implement rainwater harvesting in your house.