Rainwater Harvesting

Rainwater Harvesting
Water harvesting means capturing rain where it falls and making the optimum use of the rainwater at the place where it falls Rain is the first form of water in the hydrological cycle an hence it is a primary source of water for us.  Rivers,  lakes and ground water are all the secondary source of water.  Rain is the ultimate source that feeds all these secondary sources of water Wate harvesting involves the understanding of the value of rain and to make optimum use of the rainwater store at the place where it falls.
For water harvesting,  various techniques and methods can be adopted The first method is to capture the runoff water from the rooftops.  The second way is to capture runoff water from local harve catchment areas.  The third way is to capture and seasonal flood water from local streams.  The fourth is to conserve water through watershed prese management.  It simply means that the collected an water should be kept clean by not allowing any whic polluting activities either in the catchment area or all such places from where the water has been collected.

The water thus harnessed can prove very useful in times of need. it can serve purposes:
(1) it can provide drinking water to the local people
(ii)  It can be used for irrigating the parched land
(iii) it helps in increasing the level of the ground water which can better be used in times of needs through wells and tubewells.
(iv)  Such harvesting of water can reduce storm water discharges and check urban floods.
(v)  Proper harvesting of rainwater can also reduce the overloading of sewage treatment plants.  and
(vi)  Harvesting of rainwater can reduce the inflow of water in the coastal areas and thus reduce the chances of overflooding the coastal areas.

our ancestors were wise enough to harvest the rainwater in a number of ways.  They harvested the raindrops directly from the roof tops and then stored it in tanks built in their courtyards or in the artificial wells dug in the community lands.  They also harvested rainwater open tanks or village pools by fetching water from the swollen streams during the monsoon season During drought,  this harvested water could be used both for irrigation purposes.  We should follow in the footsteps of our ancestors and conserve and preserve rainwater.  Our average village can have an easy access to about 340 hectares of land any which can accommodate an average of 3.75   billion litres of water.  What a relief to the villagers been in times of need,  especially when the rain fails and drought like situation stares at their faces.