Rainwater Harvesting in india
Introduction:
In ancient India, survival was the skeleton key where civilizations, settlements, and empires rose and then fell. Water, food, and shelter were a continuous struggle in dry climates where water was scarce. The rainwater harvesting system in India roots back to its origin of more than 4,000 years when the ancient administrative system purposed rainwater for fundamental needs. However, the storage area is unlike contemporary measures. The collected rainwater is allowed to grow in rivers, lakes, dams, rooftop storage, moats, and natural depressions. However, regional disputes that led to water wars were common during those ages. India has learned long back that surface water isn’t the only source to serve the people’s water needs. Although India is the country with the 9th largest fresh water reserve, 1,608 billion cubic meters a year, today it has moved its concern from the surface to the ground. This is the area where India’s freshwater is under the greatest stress, rain water harvesting comes as a rescuing hand as well as an answerable alternative.
The straightforward procedure of collecting and holding rainwater in a storage container for later use is known as "rainwater harvesting." Rain water can be collected from roofs, lawns, sidetrack canals, and culverts alongside roads, bridges, parks, and open land to be collected in storage tanks (for immediate use) or in underground aquifers – natural or man-made for groundwater recharge.
The three major techniques of rainwater harvesting are as follows:
Water Scarcity in India:
Water is becoming a precious commodity like blue diamonds in India. India has 18 percent of the world’s population but only 4 percent of its water resources, making it among the most water-stressed countries in the world. Indians are already experiencing high to extreme water stress, according to the Indian government’s NITI Aayog report.
Below are the furnished numbers from the World Bank based on its research:
The rapid growth in India's urban areas has expanded the government solutions, which have been compromised by over-privatization. Water-borne infections, which account for about 21% of cases, were caused by the contamination of both biological and chemical pollutants found in water for consumption & other domestic uses. Furthermore, traditional sanitation is only available to 33% of the population.
The fact that large rural populations in India have begun to move closer to urban expansion, market prices for goods are rising, and people's lifestyles are changing supports the claim that there is not enough labor to drill wells to reach groundwater supplies in rural areas. As a result, the lack of water in the country serves as a trap for rural residents to obtain food and other necessities of life.
According to recent World Bank estimates, by 2030, there will be a 40% increase in India's water demand beyond what can be supplied at the current rate. The country's economic and social stability, as well as its security, are seriously at stake due to water scarcity.
India's primary source of income comes from goods that are primarily produced in rural areas, but unpredictable rainfall, sudden droughts, strong storms, insect invasions of Indian farming lands and flooding during the monsoon season make it a complex issue, as each state has different topography, climate, habitats, and ecological requirements.
Water Table Situation and its Statistics in India
India's urban population is expected to increase significantly over the next three decades, which poses a serious challenge because the country's water supplies are already insufficient to meet demand.
How to overcome the Water Scarcity in India
Tree-based Farming:
Trees require less water and can withstand water stress for a longer period of time. The viability of growing different dry land horticulture crops, rather than timber and fuel wood species, allows farmers to make money each year without cutting down trees. Additionally, over two lakh tribal families nationwide have been successfully rehabilitated thanks to Agri-Horti-forestry. The main difficulty is giving participant families a means of subsistence throughout the 4-5-year gestation period before the fruit trees bear fruit. Planning promoted food crops amongst fruit trees, making optimum use of the water resources that are available, and conserving soil water effectively could increase crop yields while maintaining food security. Agro forestry is a practical solution to both the problem of water scarcity and the mitigation of global warming.
Development of wastelands:
Since over 9 million acres of rich land are sitting fallow due to high salt content, the reclamation of sodic fields is another crucial program that must be pursued. Particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, excessive soil erosion is harming productive agricultural lands and flooding rivers, creating ravine lands. By conserving soil and water, it will be possible for small farmers to drill tube wells at a reasonable cost and use shared water resources to cultivate a variety of crops.
Development of livestock:
Water is needed to feed 500 million heads of livestock and to provide fodder for them, making animal husbandry a significant field. Farmers release animals of lower quality onto the field for free grazing. This has resulted in severe soil erosion and the denudation of vegetation. By allowing farmers to use stall feeding, they can shrink their herd size, increasing their revenue while reducing the burden on natural resources, especially water stress.
Water Resource Expansion:
The solution is to utilize all available water resources and make them accessible for sustainable use while increasing water use efficiency. This can be accomplished by addressing various issues and launching appropriate activities for the creation of new water resources, the expansion of currently available resources, the prevention of water pollution, and the enhancement of water usage efficiency across all sectors.
Increasing the amount of surface water that can be stored:
By building small and medium-sized dams and rivers, as well as agricultural ponds, percolation tanks, and water reservoirs, more surface water may be stored while the recharging of the groundwater is increased. A series of contour limits, especially in undulating terrain, will improve the groundwater table and promote the percolation of water. Creating a series of tiny dams on rivulets and sealing gullies will both aid in the storage of water in reservoirs.
Actions taken by different states for Rain Water Harvesting (RWH)
The mountainous state of Uttarakhand's villages suffers from a lack of water supplies, as it is difficult to construct and maintain the necessary infrastructure due to the region's steep Himalayan topography. Many residents, especially women, have to go more than 1.6 kilometers to get potable water for domestic use.
As the mountain state frequently experiences flash floods, earthquakes, and landslides, building infrastructure and institutional capacity, and supporting local enterprises with full participation of village communities will make them more resilient to handle natural disasters.
On the contrary, Tamil Nadu, especially the southern metropolis of Chennai, reeled under a fatal water crisis in 2019. Water was brought in by train from some 200 kilometers away to save the city. The measure is to collect water by putting local communities in charge of managing their own water supply schemes.
How India's Water Crisis is alleviated through Rain Water Harvesting (RWH)
NGOs or Activists in India contributed to the importance of Rain Water Harvesting (RWH)
Inspiring thousands of individuals to practice rainwater gathering and water conservation, it has changed their lives.
i. Amla Ruia, a social activist from Mumbai, has changed many lives in more than 100 Rajasthani villages by constructing check dams and utilizing conventional water harvesting methods. She established the Aakar Charitable Trust, a long-term, sustainable solution for water conservation in Rajasthan's drought-stricken areas. She constructed 200 check dams in 100 villages that have a direct impact on over 2 lakh people who collectively earn Rs. 300 crores annually.
ii. The Drop-Dead Foundation by Aabid Surti is a one-man non-profit organization that helps Mumbai families with plumbing issues like leaks that waste water. With the assistance of a plumber and a single volunteer, the 80-year-old does it all for free. Aabid visited 1666 homes on Mira Road in 2007, mended 414 leaking taps without charge, and helped save around 4.14 lakh liters of water. His efforts motivated individuals all throughout the nation to follow his lead and contribute to water conservation in their localities.
iii. To sustain increased cultivation regardless of the amount of rain received, in Karnataka, Ayyappa, a local man bought six acres of property in a village in the dry region of Gadag. After planting coffee and rubber on this acreage and numerous attempts to succeed, with relentless years of investigation, he discovered that replenishing borewells and using non-irrigational farming techniques could be more beneficial. He spread his success to nearby communities. Today, Ayyappa has established over 600 lakes and thousands of conservation projects spread across 11 states.
There are many water heroes like the above three who have demonstrated to us the enormous impact that one individual can have on resolving the water crisis with our own efforts and innovative lateral thinking ideas.
Connclusion:
Utilizing a rainwater harvesting system has numerous advantages in regions with adequate rainfall but insufficient groundwater supplies. It is a straightforward natural method of water conservation. It will also open the door to a variety of other economic pursuits that will empower local populations.
Instead of placing their faith in the administration to solve the water situation, thousands of families across the nation can engage in rainwater gathering, starting from individual houses, apartments, parks, and other public spaces all around the nation. Similar to how we all know that charity starts at home, a contribution to the well-being of society must also begin at home. Happy RWH!
