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RAINWATER HARVESTING PRACTICES
Editors
PRADEEP K. NAIK, M.S., Ph.D.
Central Ground Water Board, Nagpur, India
and
BHANU R. NEUPANE, PhD, DBA
United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation, New Delhi, India
Published by
Selected papers from the National Seminar on “Rainwater Harvesting and Water
Management” organized by The Institution of Engineers (India), Nagpur Local Centre,
Nagpur in association with UNESCO, New Delhi, India on November 11-12, 2006.
United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation
New Delhi, India
The Institution of Engineers (India)The Institution of Engineers (India)
The Institution of Engineers (India)The Institution of Engineers (India)
The Institution of Engineers (India)
Nagpur Local Centre, Nagpur, India
and
Published by
The Institution of Engineers (India)
Nagpur Local Centre, North Ambazari Road,
Nagpur - 440 010
Tel. : +91-712-2556231, 2554387
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and
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Tel. : +91-11-26 71 30 00, Fax : +91-11-26 71 30 01/2
Email : newdelhi@unesco.org
Web : www.unesco.org/water/
Editors :
Pradeep K. Naik, M.S., Ph.D.
Bhanu R. Neupane, Ph.D., D.B.A.
ISBN 978-81-89218-23-2
© 2008, The Institution of Engineers (India), NLC / UNESCO
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This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part in any form for education or nonprofit use,
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Rainwater Harvesting Practices
(iii)
Foreword
For over half a millennium, man has practiced rainwater harvesting to augment irrigation
for agriculture, to provide supplies of water for drinking and other domestic purposes and to
prepare supplementary supplies for unusual or prolonged shortages of water. In the context
of climate change, which has recently gathered attention, research into water harvesting
techniques and methodologies have taken on an urgency across the globe. Rainwater
harvesting, especially, in providing a source of water at the point of consumption offers a
number of solutions to growing pressure on water resources in urban and rural environments
alike. In India, dependence on monsoonal weather systems and often erratic rainfall
accompanied by a growing population and the overexploitation of groundwater reserves has
made rainwater harvesting a particularly pertinent concept.
Rainwater harvesting has the ability to respond to localized and global hydrological
pressures, in order to reduce dependence on depleting groundwater, erratic rainfall or on
existing national supplies. In a monsoonal climate like that in India, the storage and filtration
of rainwater at the point of precipitation for use throughout the year, especially during dry
periods, is particularly important area for research and development. As such, there is a
growing need to explore techniques, methodologies and best practices that can be used to
plan and implement sustainable rainwater harvesting systems, groundwater recharge systems
and drought mitigation processes.
UNESCO through its International Hydrological Programme (IHP) has been involved
in research, capacity building and partnership development in rainwater harvesting for at
least three decades. Through its groundwater initiatives such as aquifer management and
Global Water and Development Information for Arid and Semi-Arid Areas (GWADI) under
IHP, UNESCO has explored possible applications of rainwater harvesting technologies through
dedicated research and produced material for training and institutional capacity building,
prepared policy briefs, and developed viable strategies for the successful promulgation of
rainwater harvesting across the developing world.
The present volume brings together papers on rainwater harvesting practices from the
National Seminar on Rainwater Harvesting and Water Management organized by UNESCO,
New Delhi in association with The Institution of Engineers (India), Nagpur, India, and held
on November 11th and 12th 2006. It is a pleasure for UNESCO to thank the collaborating
partners who actively participated in the planning and organization of the National Seminar,
as well as all experts for their contribution. We would like to express our gratitude to the
editors of this volume, Dr Pradeep Naik and Dr Bhanu Neupane for providing academic
coordination, and for their enthusiasm, diligence and perseverance in seeing the present
volume into print.
Ms. Minja Yang
Director and Representative
UNESCO, New Delhi
Rainwater Harvesting Practices
Prologue
It’s a matter of great privilege and honour for me to be a part of this edited volume
based on technical papers presented at the All India Seminar on Rainwater Harvesting and
Water Management held at the Nagpur Local Centre, The Institution of Engineers (India).
The Institution of Engineers (India) is the oldest body of professional engineers in
India. The IEI has 15 engineering branches and has about 100 centres in the country as well
as outside India wherever there is a concentration of Indian Engineers. The main aim of IEI
is to spread awareness within corporate members as well other engineers and professionals
on topics of national and international interest. The mission of IEI is accomplished through
numerous Seminars, Symposia, Workshops and Lecture Programs held at Headquarters,
State and Local Centres. The Nagpur Local Centre (NLC) of IEI has been a very active
centre since its inception in organizing such activities.
The dependability on rainwater is immense in a country like India, where the vast
majority has been dependent on natural resources for their livelihoods. NLC has organized
several programs on related themes in the past and felt that there is a need to make the
community aware of rainwater harvesting. The All India Seminar on Rainwater Harvesting
was thus planned as a national activity. The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) appreciated the relevance of the topic in the current situation and
graciously sponsored the All India Seminar.
The seminar brought together engineers, academicians, scientists, policy makers and
project implementers from all parts of India and few other countries to deliberate on practices
of rainwater harvesting in ancient, historic and present conditions. They also discussed various
technical and administrative issues concerning the usage of natural water resources at different
levels and sizes. Authors suggested several innovative solutions by adopting traditional methods
prevalent in the Indian society. The overall efforts were directed at finding sustainable solutions
with public participation. Since the exploitation of water resources leading to scarcity or
stress is a common problem throughout the developing nations, I feel that this special volume
will be useful to various communities spread throughout the world.
I take this opportunity to welcome this book Rainwater Harvesting Practices, which
will be an useful technical tool and guide for decision-makers and professionals who practice
rainwater harvesting. Its impact will create a momentum to harvest water from rain for
direct usage as well as to recharge groundwater to contribute to ecological balance.
Shekhar Bhole
Chairman
The Institution of Engineers (India)
Nagpur Local Centre
Rainwater Harvesting Practices
(iv)
Preface
The concept of water harvesting, especially rainwater harvesting, has been in existence
for over five thousand years, since the early development of settlements and agriculture.
More recently, it has gained prevalence amongst scientific and development communities
after research was conducted into its use in the mid-twentieth century. These rainwater
harvesting structures tended to provide drinking water for livestock, but the idea has broadened
to include the provision of irrigation water for agriculture, of water for domestic purposes,
and of a clean and safe supply of drinking water. This collection of papers builds on research
into water harvesting from around the world in the last fifty years, from places as diverse as
Israel, Germany, Australia, America, Pakistan, China, Japan, Singapore and India. A process
of collecting and storing any form of water, water harvesting is crucial in that it provides a
source of water at the point of consumption. As such, it appears to provide a solution to what
is widely referred to as the approaching global water crisis. The papers included here give a
clear and far-reaching understanding of the urgent need for water harvesting to respond to
localized and global hydrological pressures. In identifying potential competition for resources,
the authors have highlighted the need for localized water harvesting to reduce dependence
on often erratic rainfall or national supplies.
In the context of the South Asian climate, the extremes of the monsoon and drought
and erratic rainfall patterns create particular challenges. The authors have emphasized the
dangers of India’s reliance on rainfed agricultural land, combined with poor water harvesting
measures that has often left the second wettest country in the world facing severe drought.
They have also warned of the increasing pressure that growing urbanization has put on
urban water resources, resulting in falling groundwater levels or the contamination of deep
aquifers.
In light of this situation, a National Seminar on Rainwater Harvesting and Water
Management was held on the 11th and 12th November, 2006 under the auspices of the
Institution of Engineers (India) (IEI), Nagpur, India to discuss rainwater harvesting and to
explore new possibilities to manage and maintain existing water resources. The objective
was to bring policy makers, planners, researchers, scientists, administrators, engineers, NGOs
and responsible citizens to a common platform to share and discuss their experiences and
knowledge. This special edited volume consists of selected papers presented during this
seminar and is brought out under the financial support from the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), New Delhi. The book describes the effects,
both global and local, of water scarcity and explores the solutions, techniques, processes and
wider impacts of rainwater harvesting, with an especial focus on agriculture and urban
drinking water supply.
The book has been roughly divided into four, although there is much interaction and
discussion between sections. Section I presents a review of rainwater harvesting concepts,
deals with the general aspects of rainwater harvesting and introduces the subject to the
beginners and less experienced professionals. Papers explore the use of water harvesting
Rainwater Harvesting Practices
(v)
both for agricultural and domestic or drinking demands, and provide a sweeping introduction
to previous research in the area. There are both general and technical descriptions of key
rainwater harvesting components, structures, and methodologies, including processes as varied
as land alteration, vegetation management, chemical and physical soil treatments, the
construction of artificial catchments, storage tanks and filtration units, and the use of recharge
wells. The authors also illustrate the benefits, disadvantages and limitations or constraints in
the use of water harvesting techniques.
Section II describes particular case studies carried out in different parts of the India
and abroad. Authors have expressed their views in detail on specific rainwater harvesting
techniques, and provided a wide-ranging discussion of measures adopted in different states
in India and beyond. Functional advice on useful rainwater harvesting measures gives these
papers a practical as well as theoretical relevance, both for rural and urban environments,
and methodologies to help implement government strategies of extensive rooftop rainwater
harvesting would be of interest to those in the public sector. Finally, of particular note in this
section is the balancing of large scale plans with locally relevant solutions that are easy to
implement. Papers cover a number of distinct areas to tackle localized problems, whether in
the hills, flood plains, deserts or urban environment.
Section III explores new methodologies and techniques that can improve the
performance of existing rainwater harvesting schemes and maximize recharge of declining
groundwater supplies. Key processes and the recent developments have been identified,
and the papers do not shy away from addressing problems and limitations of water harvesting
structures. Experiments into the optimization of water harvesting systems reveal the potential
of methodologies and constraining factors, whether in generating increased agricultural yield
or providing domestic water supplies. As well as introducing the newest technologies – such
as filtration materials or hydrophobic soil treatments – authors have discussed the existence
and importance of ancient water harvesting practices. The demonstration of earlier successes
of indigenous water harvesting customs and structures urges policy makers and planners to
include traditional knowledge systems in the design and implementation of sustainable and
cost-effective rainwater harvesting systems, such as ooranis, irrigation tanks, kunds and
contour ditches. The papers also open up new areas for future research.
The final section, Section IV, deals with the socio-economic aspects of the rainwater
harvesting. The papers stress the need to create mass awareness for promulgation of rainwater
harvesting and water management concepts both amongst technicians and engineers, policy
planners and the general public. The wider impacts of water management are explored,
including its role in poverty alleviation, community development and the improvement of both
urban and rural environments. There is an abiding identification of the need to make water
everybody’s business.
This book was collected in an attempt to provide practical guidance and mechanisms
to plan, implement and maintain water harvesting systems. All the papers are written with a
focus on developing comprehensive pre-emptive water harvesting systems and drought
mitigation processes: as the authors demonstrate, there is little point in spending money in
(vi)
Rainwater Harvesting Practices
meeting drinking, industrial and agricultural needs only at the point when we notice water
scarcity. A particularly important outcome of the collection is the balance of the urgency to
implement water harvesting systems in reaction to situations of water scarcity with the
necessary warning voices that can prevent the negative impacts of hurried or poorly planned
water harvesting. Previous research in this area has focused on the implementation techniques,
but has revealed a need for careful maintenance and monitoring of water harvesting systems.
Several papers included here have raised the issue of contamination and the location of
water harvesting systems, and have attempted to evaluate approaches and technique. In
exploring in great detail a number of traditional and recent methodologies across a variety of
sectors and environments, this book, therefore, highlights the need for careful planning
procedures in establishing water harvesting and management systems. We thus hope that it
will serve both as a reference manual to all those who want to practice rainwater harvesting
and as a tool to inform policy and research.
This special volume is the outcome of a joint effort by UNESCO, New Delhi and
IEI, NLC, Nagpur. Acknowledgement needs to be given to all the participants and organizers
who were involved in the success of the National Seminar on Rainwater Harvesting and
Water Management, 11th and 12th November, 2006, at Nagpur, which gave rise to this
volume. Especial thanks are due to all the contributors who provided papers, and to the
reviewers. Most authors who contributed multiple papers in the seminar on different themes
were requested to combine their papers into one due to page limitations; inconveniences, if
any, to this effect are deeply regretted. Sincere efforts by the staff of the UNESCO, New
Delhi and IEI, NLC, Nagpur in bringing out this special volume are gratefully acknowledged.
Two people deserve special thanks : Miss Jessica Kennedy, Programme Associate and
Editor, Science Sector, UNESCO, New Delhi and Mr Prashant Kawale, Square
Communications & Creatives, Nagpur for their efforts in giving the shape to this publication
as it bears now.
Pradeep K. Naik, M.S., Ph.D.
Central Ground Water Board,
Nagpur, India
and
Bhanu R. Neupane, Ph.D., D.B.A.
United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organisation,
New Delhi, India
(vii)
Rainwater Harvesting Practices
Rainwater Harvesting Practices
RAINWATER HARVESTING PRACTICES
Contents
– Foreword
– Prologue
– Preface
Section I : Introduction to Rainwater Harvesting
1. Rainwater Harvesting, Conservation and Management Strategies for Urban and Rural Sectors
- Dr. R. K. Sivanappan
2. Rainwater Harvesting
- S. K. Sinha
3. Review of Rainwater Harvesting in India
- R. M. Dhoble - Dr. A. G. Bhole
4. Water Harvesting: Limitations in Implementation
- Y. Arunakar Reddy
5. Rainwater Harvesting in Northeast India: A Simple and Cheap Method
- Shukla Acharjee - Mangesh G. Waghmare
6. Rainwater Harvesting: A Long-Lasting Solution to Water Scarcity
- Pradeep S. Bhalge - Charu Bhavsar
7. The Scope of Rainwater Harvesting in Urban Areas
- Sandip H. Deshmukh - Bertha Fernandes - R. B. Magar
Section II : Case Studies in Rainwater Harvesting
8. Conservation of Groundwater through Artificial Recharge using Rooftop Rainwater in R V College of
Engineering Campus, Bangalore (A Case Study)
- B. L. Shivakumar
9. Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting and its Potential: Case Studies in New Delhi
- Ram Karan Singh - Nitin Jakhar
10. Rainwater Harvesting: A Technique for Augmentation of Groundwater in Deeper Aquifers of Pune Urban Area
- S. C. Paranjpe - Dr. N. J. Pawar
11. Importance of Designing Artificial Groundwater Recharging System by Rainwater in Coastal Water Supply
Schemes: A Case Study from the Eastern Coastal Zone of Sri Lanka
- Upul Wickramaratne - S. K. Weragoda - H. A. Dharmagunewardhane
12. Rainwater Harvesting for Water Resource Management in Himalayan Region of Tehri Garhwal, Uttaranchal
- G. K. Khadse - A.V. Talkhande - P. S. Kelkar - M. V. Nanoti
13. Rainwater Harvesting in Urban Areas and its Impact
- K. Dwarakanath
(ix)
14. Rainwater Harvesting – Critical Evaluation
- Sulakshana Patil - Rajendrakumar V. Saraf
15. Water Resource Development for Sustainable Cotton Production at CICR, Nagpur : A Case Study
- K. S. Bhaskar - P. N. Mendhe - M.R.K. Rao - B. M. Khadi
16. Performance Evaluation of Rainwater Harvesting: A Case Study in Chennai City
- A. Jebamalar - Dr. G. Ravikumar
17. Efficacy of Rainwater Harvesting Structure in Vallabhipur Village in Vallabhipur Taluka of Bhavnagar
District, Gujarat
- Ujas H. Pandya - D. T. Shete
18. Study of Experiments on Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting and Surface Rainwater Harvesting for Recharging of
Wells
- Dr. N. M. Kanhe - Dr. A. G. Bhole
19. Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting System for an Institutional Campus
- A. R. Tembhurkar - Anand Gharad - Avinash Powar - Narendra Bhalerao - S. Durgaprasad
Section III : New Methodologies for Rainwater Harvesting
20. Planning and Design of a Rainwater Harvesting System for a Watershed of Uttaranchal
- P. K. Gupta - H.C. Sharma - Vinod Kumar
21. Urban Stormwater Management through Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems - A Unified Approach through
Constructed Wetlands using Macrophytes
- M. N. V. Prasad
22. Suggested Design Approach for Planning and Designing Recharge Wells and Systems
- Dharmesh Mashru
23. Approach to Rainwater Harvesting and Artificial Recharge using Remote Sensing and Geographic
Information System: A Case Study of Naini Watershed, Mahasamund District, Chhattisgarh State
- Shekhar D. Bhole - Anand P. Pradhan
Section IV : Socio-Economic Aspects of Rainwater Harvesting
24. Socio-Economic Upliftment of Farmers through Rainwater Harvesting at Dedag Watershed, Sirmour H.P.
- Dr. Anirudh Manchanda - Dr. Pankaj Mittal - Dr. H. L.Thakur
25. Public Awareness on Rainwater Harvesting: A Case Study in Chennai City
- A. Jebamalar - Dr. G. Ravikumar
26. Water Harvesting and Management for Increasing Agricultural Production and Household Water Supply in
Bangladesh
- Dr. Md. Abdul Ghani
(x)
Rainwater Harvesting Practices
