Rain Water Harvesting / RWH

Regulations in Maharashtra :

On 14th Feb. 2002, Water Supply & Sanitation Department of Government of Maharashtra
has issued a G.R approving Rain Water Harvesting as a means of improving water supplies.
The G.R. details various techniques of Rain Water Harvesting, their costing & availability of
funds. In furtherance Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai has issued a Circular
insisting provisions for of Rain Water Harvesting while developing plots having area more
than 1000 Sq.Mts, as I.O.D. conditions from 1st Oct. 2002. The design of Rain Water
Harvesting system shall be prepared by approved consultant in the field & shall be to the
satisfaction of the Corporation. Further all Centrally Air conditioned building shall have
their own waste water treatment plant & treated waste shall be used for cooling purposes.

Need for Rain water harvesting :

Nature replenishes the ground water resources annually through rainfall; by way of
infiltration though soil layers. Due to urbanization, the soil surface exposed to natural
recharge gets reduced. Therefore, natural recharge is diminishing, resulting in drying of
wells. Ground water source has the benefit of availability where water is needed and during
emergencies and scarcity period, the public at large or NGOs should take measure to improve
the ground water recharge by rain water harvesting to maintain the reliable and sustainable
ground water resource for supplementary domestic and industrial needs by ground water
balance use.

Rain water Harvesting Aims and Objectives & Scope :

Rainwater harvesting may be defined as process of augmenting the natural infiltration of

rainwater or surface run off into the ground by some artificial methods. The methods
suggested are recharge through pits, trenches, bore wells shafts by directly diverting run off
water into existing or disused wells or conserving the rain water by artificial storing and
using the same for human use. The choice and effectiveness of any particular method is
governed by local hydrological and soil conditions and ultimate use of water.

Methods of Rainwater Harvesting in Urban Cities.

Broadly the rain water can be harvested by two methods

Ɣ Store the rainwater in containers above or above grounds or below grounds;
Ɣ Recharge into soil for withdrawal later by ground water recharging basis.

Rainwater can be stored in tanks

Rainwater can be recharged into the ground.

Any rain water harvesting will have four elements :

Ɣ Catchment area;
Ɣ Conduits;
Ɣ Settlement Tank
Ɣ Recharge facility or storage facility.
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