RAIN WATER HARVESTING AND ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE TO GROUND WATER

WHAT IS RAIN WATER HARVESTING :

The principle of collecting and using precipitation from a catchments surface.

An old technology is gaining popularity in a new way. Rain water harvesting is enjoying a
renaissance of sorts in the world, but it traces its history to biblical times. Extensive rain
water harvesting apparatus existed 4000 years ago in the Palestine and Greece. In ancient
Rome, residences were built with individual cisterns and paved courtyards to capture rain
water to augment water from city's aqueducts. As early as the third millennium BC, farming
communities in Baluchistan and Kutch impounded rain water and used it for irrigation dams.

ARTIFICAL RECHARGE TO GROUND WATER :

Artificial recharge to ground water 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.

WHY RAIN WATER HARVESTING :

Rain water harvesting is essential because :-

Surface water is inadequate to meet our demand and we have to depend on ground water.

Due to rapid urbanization, infiltration of rain water into the sub-soil has decreased drastically
and recharging of ground water has diminished.
As you read this guide, seriously consider conserving water by harvesting and managing this
natural resource by artificially recharging the system. The examples covering several dozen
installations successfully operating in India constructed and maintained by CGWB, provide
an excellent snapshot of current systems.

RAIN WATER HARVESTING TECHNIQUES :

There are two main techniques of rain water harvestings.

Storage of rainwater on surface for future use.

Recharge to ground water.

The storage of rain water on surface is a traditional techniques and structures used were
underground tanks, ponds, check dams, weirs etc. Recharge to ground water is a new
concept of rain water harvesting and the structures generally used are :-

Pits :- Recharge pits are constructed for recharging the shallow aquifer.
These are constructed 1 to 2 m, wide and to 3 m. deep which are back filled
with boulders, gravels, coarse sand.

Trenches:- These are constructed when the permeable stram is available at

shallow depth. Trench may be 0.5 to 1 m. wide, 1 to 1.5m. deep and 10 to
20 m. long depending up availability of water. These are back filled with
filter. materials.

Dug wells:- Existing dug wells may be utilised as recharge structure and
water should pass through filter media before putting into dug well.

Hand pumps :- The existing hand pumps may be used for recharging the
shallow/deep aquifers, if the availability of water is limited. Water should
pass through filter media before diverting it into hand pumps.

Recharge wells :- Recharge wells of 100 to 300 mm. diameter are

generally constructed for recharging the deeper aquifers and water is
passed through filter media to avoid choking of recharge wells.

Recharge Shafts :- For recharging the shallow aquifer which are located
below clayey surface, recharge shafts of 0.5 to 3 m. diameter and 10 to 15
m. deep are constructed and back filled with boulders, gravels & coarse
sand.

Lateral shafts with bore wells :- For recharging the upper as well as
deeper aquifers lateral shafts of 1.5 to 2 m. wide & 10 to 30 m. long
depending upon availability of water with one or two bore wells are
constructed. The lateral shafts is back filled with boulders, gravels & coarse
sand.
 Spreading techniques :- When permeable strata starts from top then this
technique is used. Spread the water in streams/Nalas by making check
dams, nala bunds, cement plugs, gabion structures or a percolation pond
may be constructed.

DIVERSION OF RUN OFF INTO EXISTING SURFACE WATER BODIES

Construction activity in and around the city is resulting in the drying up of water bodies and
reclamation of these tanks for conversion into plots for houses.

Free flow of storm run off into these tanks and water bodies must be ensured. The storm run
off may be diverted into the nearest tanks or depression, which will create additional
recharge.

Urbanisation effects on Groundwater Hydrology :

Increase in water demand

More dependence on ground water use

Over exploitation of ground water

Increase in run-off, decline in well yields and fall in water levels

Reduction in open soil surface area

Reduction in infiltration and deterioration in water quality

Methods of artificial recharge in urban areas :

Water spreading

Recharge through pits, trenches, wells, shafts

Rooftop collection of rainwater

Roadtop collection of rainwater

Induced recharge from surface water bodies.

Computation of artificial recharge from Roof top rainwater collection :

Factors taken for computation :

Roof top area 100 sq.m. for individual house and 500 sq.m. for multi-storied
building.

Average annual monsoon rainfall - 780 mm.

Effective annual rainfall contributing to recharge 70% - 550 mm.

Individual Multistoried
Houses building
 Roof top area 100 sq. m. 500 sq. m.

Total quantity available forrecharge 55 cu. m 275 cu. m.

per annum

Water available for 5 member Family 100 days 500 days

Benefits of Artificial Recharge in Urban Areas :

Improvement in infiltration and reduction in run-off.

Improvement in groundwater levels and yields.
Reduces strain on Special Village Panchayats/ Municipal / Municipal Corporation
water supply
Improvement in groundwater quality
Estimated quantity of additional recharge from 100 sq. m. roof top area is 55.000
liters.
HARVESTING RAINWATER HARNESSING LIFE :

A NOBLE GOAL - A COMMON RESPONSIBILITY

Ground water exploitation is inevitable is Urban areas. But the groundwater potential is
getting reduced due to urbanisation resulting in over exploitation. Hence, a strategy to
implement the groundwater recharge, in a major way need to be launched with concerted
efforts by various Governmental and Non-Governmental Agencies and Public at large to
build up the water table and make the groundwater resource, a reliable and sustainable
source for supplementing water supply needs of the urban dwellers.

Recharge of groundwater through storm run off and roof top water collection, diversion and
collection of run off into dry tanks, play grounds, parks and other vacant places are to be
implemented by Special Village Panchayats/ Municipalities /Municipal Corporations and
other Government Establishments with special efforts.

The Special Village Panchayats /Municipalities/Municipal Corporations will help the citizens
and builders to adopt suitable recharge method in one's own house or building through
demonstration and offering subsidies for materials and incentives, if possible.

ATTRIBUTES OF GROUNDWATER :

There is more ground water than surface water

Ground water is less expensive and economic resource.
Ground water is sustainable and reliable source of water supply.
Ground water is relatively less vulnerable to pollution
Ground water is usually of high bacteriological purity.
Ground water is free of pathogenic organisms.
Ground water needs little treatment before use.
Ground water has no turbidity and colour.
Ground water has distinct health advantage as art alternative for lower sanitary quality
surface water.
Ground water is usually universally available.
Ground water resource can be instantly developed and used.
There is no conveyance losses in ground water based supplies.
Ground water has low vulnerability to drought.
Ground water is key to life in arid and semi-arid regions.
Ground water is source of dry weather flow in rivers and streams.
Rainwater harvesting

Rainwater harvesting is the gathering, or accumulating and storing, of rainwater.[1]

Rainwater harvesting has been used to provide drinking water, water for livestock,
water for irrigation or to refill aquifers in a process called groundwater recharge.
Rainwater collected from the roofs of houses, tents and local institutions, or from
specially prepared areas of ground, can make an important contribution to drinking
water. In some cases, rainwater may be the only available, or economical, water
source. Rainwater systems are simple to construct from inexpensive local materials,
and are potentially successful in most habitable locations. Roof rainwater is usually
of good quality and does not require treatment before consumption. Household
rainfall catchment systems are appropriate in areas with an average rainfall greater
than 200mm per year, and no other accessible water sources (Skinner and Cotton,
1992).

There are a number of types of systems to harvest rainwater ranging from very
simple to the complex industrial systems. Generally, rainwater is either harvested
from the ground or from a roof. The rate at which water can be collected from either
system is dependent on the plan area of the system, its efficiency, and the intensity
of rainfall.

Ground catchment systems

Ground catchments systems channel water from a prepared catchment area into
storage. Generally they are only considered in areas where rainwater is very scarce
and other sources of water are not available. They are more suited to small
communities than individual families. If properly designed, ground catchments can
collect large quantities of rainwater.

[edit] Roof catchment systems

A domestic rooftop rainwater harvesting system

The regular set-up of a pressurized rooftop rainwater harvesterRoof catchment

systems channel rainwater that falls onto a roof into storage via a system of gutters
and pipes. The first flush of rainwater after a dry season should be allowed to run to
waste as it will be contaminated with dust, bird droppings etc. Roof gutters should
have sufficient incline to avoid standing water. They must be strong enough, and
large enough to carry peak flows. Storage tanks should be covered to prevent
mosquito breeding and to reduce evaporation losses, contamination and algal
growth. Rainwater harvesting systems require regular maintenance and cleaning to
keep the system hygienic and in good working order.

[edit] Subsurface dyke

A subsurface dyke is built in an aquifer to obstruct the natural flow of groundwater,

thereby raising the groundwater level and increasing the amount of water stored in
the aquifer.

The subsurface dyke at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kannur under Kerala Agricultural
University with the support of ICAR, has become an effective method for ground
water conservation by means of rain water harvesting technologies. The sub-
surface dyke has demonstrated that it is a feasible method for conserving and
exploiting the groundwater resources of the Kerala state of India. The dyke is now
the largest rainwater harvesting system in that region.

[edit] Groundwater recharge

Rainwater may also be used for groundwater recharge, where the runoff on the
ground is collected and allowed to be absorbed, adding to the groundwater. In the
US, rooftop rainwater is collected and stored in sump.[2] In India this includes
Bawdis and johads, or ponds which collect the run-off from small streams in wide
area.[3][4]

In India, reservoirs called tankas were used to store water; typically they were
shallow with mud walls. Ancient tankas still exist in some places.[4]

[edit] Advantages in urban areas

Rainwater harvesting in urban areas can have manifold reasons. Some of the
reasons rainwater harvesting can be adopted in cities are to provide supplemental
water for the city's requirements, to increase soil moisture levels for urban
greenery, to increase the ground water table through artificial recharge, to mitigate
urban flooding and to improve the quality of groundwater. In urban areas of the
developed world, at a household level, harvested rainwater can be used for flushing
toilets and washing laundry. Indeed in hard water areas it is superior to mains water
for this. It can also be used for showering or bathing. It may require treatment prior
to use for drinking

In New Zealand, many houses away from the larger towns and cities routinely rely
on rainwater collected from roofs as the only source of water for all household
activities. This is almost inevitably the case for many holiday homes.

[edit] Quality

As rainwater may be contaminated, it is often not considered suitable for drinking

without treatment. However, there are many examples of rainwater being used for
all purposes — including drinking — following suitable treatment.

Rainwater harvested from roofs can contain animal and bird faeces, mosses and
lichens, windblown dust, particulates from urban pollution, pesticides, and inorganic
ions from the sea (Ca, Mg, Na, K, Cl, SO4), and dissolved gases (CO2, NOx, SOx).
High levels of pesticide have been found in rainwater in Europe with the highest
concentrations occurring in the first rain immediately after a dry spell;[5] the
concentration of these and other contaminants are reduced significantly by
diverting the initial flow of water to waste as described above. The water may need
to be analysed properly, and used in a way appropriate to its safety. In the Gansu
province for example, harvested rainwater is boiled in parabolic solar cookers
before being used for drinking.[6] In Brazil alum and chlorine is added to disinfect
water before consumption.[citation needed] So-called "appropriate technology"
methods, such as solar water disinfection, provide low-cost[citation needed]
disinfection options for treatment of stored rainwater for drinking.

[edit] System sizing

It is important that the system is sized to meet the water demand throughout the
dry season. Generally speaking, the size of the storage tank should be big enough
to meet the daily water requirement throughout the dry season. In addition, the size
of the catchment area or roof should be large enough to fill the tank.

Urban Water Supply

Demand for water is growing in most cities as every urban citizen requires almost
double the amount of water that a rural citizen requires. Moreover, India is rapidly
urbanising.
Urban population in India has grown almost five times in five decades from 1951
(62.44 million) to 2001 (286.08). Not long ago, most of our cities were self sufficient
in meeting their water needs from the extensive urban water bodies to supply water
to citizens. Today these water bodies have completely disappeared. Municipalities
have been stretched to their limits to find water for the growing urban populations.
Groundwater is being extracted by the government as well as the private parties.

[edit] Around the world

Currently in China and Brazil, rooftop rainwater harvesting is being practiced for
providing drinking water, domestic water, water for livestock, water for small
irrigation and a way to replenish ground water levels. Gansu province inh China and
semi-arid north east Brazil have the largest rooftop rainwater harvesting projects
ongoing.

In Rajasthan, India rainwater harvesting has traditionally been practiced by the

people of the Thar Desert.

In Bermuda, the law requires all new construction to include rainwater harvesting
adequate for the residents.

The U.S. Virgin Islands have a similar law.

In the Indus Valley Civilization, Elephanta Caves and Kanheri Caves in Mumbai
rainwater harvesting alone has been used to supply in their water requirements.

In Senegal/Guinea-Bissau, the houses of the Diola-people are frequently equipped

with homebrew rainwater harvesters made from local, organic material.

In the United Kingdom water butts are oft-found in domestic gardens to collect
rainwater which is then used to water the garden.

In the Ayerwaddy Delta of Myanmar, the groundwater is saline and communities

rely on mud lined rainwater ponds to meet their drinking water needs throughout
the dry season. Some of these ponds are centuries old and are treated with great
reverence and respect.

Until 2009 in Colorado, water rights laws restricted rainwater harvesting; a property
owner who captured rainwater was deemed to be stealing it from those who have
rights to take water from the watershed. The main factor in persuading the
Colorado Legislature to change the law was a 2007 study that found that in an
average year, 97% of the precipitation that fell in Douglas County, in the southern
suburbs of Denver, never reached a stream—it was used by plants or evaporated on
the ground. In Utah and Washington State, collecting rainwater from the roof is
illegal unless the roof owner also owns water rights on the ground. In New Mexico,
rainwater catchment is mandatory for new dwellings in Santa Fe.[7]