Rainwater Harvesting – Part 1

Have you ever closed your eyes and enjoyed the ‘petrichor’ (earthy scent produced when rain falls on soil)? I know how it feels!

When it rains, running towards the window/door or having a hot drink and snack – was a routine in most of our lives. But, now, due to urbanization and lack of knowledge – the same rain is haunting most of the cities.

We blame the government for improper planning (insufficient stormwater drains) and climate change (for excessive rains or dry days). But, truth is we didn’t understand how nature works!

Rainwater – Biggest resource

Almost all rivers, lakes, ponds and wells – receive water from rains. Before urbanization, all these water-bodies were abundant.

Over the years, most of these water bodies dried up – due to lack of our knowledge (encroachments due to rapid construction of building and non-penetrating flooring). This turned into a nightmare for us as we either face rainwater flooding / dry days

My intent is to wake us up on ‘How to harvest Rainwater and avoid extremities’ and co-exist with this beautiful nature – by implementing the following steps:

1.Filter the rainwater and re-fill the underground sumps/tanks – One of the most effective ways is to interconnect all the terrace outlets to a filter. After removing dust and leaves, the filtered water refills the sumps/tanks for our usage. Do watch the video to understand it in detail:

Tips:

1. After research, we had installed ‘Rainy Filter‘ – as it is considered to be one of the best in India. It has been of great use as we were able to conserve approx. 1,00,000 litres in the last 3 months! Cost – Starts from Rs. 8000 and will vary based on terrace area.
   • One time investment (No maintenance or recurring charges)
   • Easy to maintain (Only the filter needs to be cleaned)
   • Works on Centrifugal force (No mechanical parts involved)
2. Make sure the terrace area is clean and soluble substances (like soap, detergent or liquids) should not be present or used on the terrace. This doesn’t get filtered and hence, should not be consumed
3. In general, this filtered rainwater can be used for all purposes. For drinking purposes, please make sure that you boil this filtered water or use RO Water (How to utilise RO Waste Water?)

2. Run-off water within building premises and street water can be passed through percolating pits – to recharge underground water table

Now what? Go ahead and implement these Rainwater Harvesting techniques in your house (before the monsoon)! Be proud that you have contributed back to nature and bring back your smile!