Water scarcity is no longer an issue of concern facing us in the future. Water is a scarce commodity in India today. Across the country, citizen groups and experts are discussing ways to conserve water and methods to implement these.
Rainwater harvesting has emerged as a viable option. This involves capturing rain water for storage and consequent use or recharging it back into the ground. As most of us today live in apartment complexes, rainwater harvesting can be discussed and implemented with the help of the apartment associations. Several hotels in the city are turning to rainwater harvesting to save water and soon turning them into an ecotel hotel.
So what is rainwater harvesting?
There are three major aspects to rainwater harvesting – catchment, conveyance and storage. Areas that are ideal for collecting water, such as rooftops and paved areas, can serve as catchments. The conveyance system (consisting of pipes or conduits) transports the collected water to the storage area. Ground level or underground tanks, large lakes or ponds can be used as storage options for the rain water.
Rain water is not pure and therefore, it needs to be filtered before storage and use. Silt and suspended impurities needs to be removed using filtration methods.
First rain separators – The first few minutes of rain carries the most impurities. The separators do not allow the first rain to pass through the filter. This minimises flow of debris through the filter and hence, requires less maintenance.
Filter – Impurities can be removed by passing rain water through a filter with chambers containing layers of graded aggregates and one layer of charcoal. This ensures that particles as well as odour are removed.
Underground filters – In cases where it is not possible to have filters above ground, underground filters do the job.
Pointers for a rainwater system
Identify the right place: Choose the part of your roof that has the lowest level to install the harvester. This will ensure natural flow of rain water into the mechanism.
Clean the catchment area: Make sure the catchment area is kept clean. In most cases, it is the roof. A clean roof will facilitate cleaner collection of water.
Leaf traps: Install leaf traps if the catchment system has trees above it. This way no leaves and twigs will fall into the water.
Overflow system: Make provisions for excess water to be disposed judiciously.
Follow regulations: Ensure that your rainwater harvesting system is installed according to prevailing local regulations. Maintain copies of the documents.
As a home owner, the responsibility to conserve and use resources judiciously is on us. Let’s make the commitment now!
