WE WANT WATER 2015

International Year for Water Cooperation begins March 22, 2013

Water is life and harvesting rains can be a way out!

“Water is life’s mater and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.” -Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

Life’s existence, its survival and nourishment is dependent upon water.

Imagining a world without water is imagining a world without life! Nature has bestowed upon us this resource which we exploited without paying attention to its sustainability in the long run.

We are almost on the threshold of the danger of water scarcity and hence this world water day, 22nd March 2013 has been designated as the International Year for Water Cooperation.

‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle‘ is the mantra for water management.

WE do waste the sacred water when millions die thirsty. With climate change and global warming advancing at a greater pace rainwater harvesting is the way out for preservation and conservation of water.

Much of the water which rains goes down into drainage systems or just drains away uselessly which in fact can be put to better use.

Facts, figures and data suggest that an average urban household consumes clean water for toilet flushing and outdoor cleaning (vehicle, lawn etc.)

The irony during monsoon season which is evident mostly in urban areas is on the one side the roads and cities are flooded with water whereas on the other people cry for scarcity of water. Employing rainwater harvesting in households and buildings can at least conserve this water which can be ideally used for non-drinking purposes and the shortage of main sources of water supply can be addressed upto a certain extent. Today many countries harvest rain to deal with their water scarcity. The rising cost of water as well as ecological concerns, have resulted in rainwater being accepted as a solution for water related problems.

Growth of the city along with increase in population has resulted in rapid depletion of groundwater around the world. Rainwater harvesting can meet potable and non-potable water demands and also control flooding. Thus it has become necessary for the water authorities across different countries to adopt rainwater harvesting and conservation techniques. This is practiced on a large scale in cities like Chennai, Bangalore and Delhi where rainwater harvesting is a part of the state policy. Elsewhere, countries like Germany, Japan, United States, and Singapore are also adopting rainwater harvesting.

Government Policy and initiatives are incorporating rain water harvesting in their national agendas. Need is there to incentize such efforts so that more people act because awareness has no use until we act upon. But unless cost effective technology and equipment are made available to common people they just can’t incorporate such suggestions on the ground.

This is where countries and organizations can share their common experiences and ideas and exchange and cooperate on better water management techniques. Replicating and sharing technical know-how, expertise is better in dealing with our common problems.

Why to harvest rain?

In areas where there is inadequate groundwater supply or surface resources are either lacking or insufficient, rainwater harvesting offers an ideal solution. Helps in utilising the primary source of water and prevent the runoff from going into sewer or storm drains, thereby reducing the load on treatment plants.

Reduces urban flooding.

Recharging water into the aquifers help in improving the quality of existing groundwater through dilution.

Some examples of Rainwater Harvesting experiences:

Rainwater Harvesting(RWH) development in Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Denmark is also increasing. The popularity of installing RWH systems can be linked to the water price. The higher the price, the greater the incentive to save water. In Germany for example, water is an expensive commodity. With almost complete water metering and the fact that RWH systems are grant aided, Germany is in the forefront of RWH in Europe.

Bangalore was the first city in India to implement a RWH policy. Driven by a need to reduce pumping costs and energy use associated with supplying water to the elevated city, innovative approaches for RWH are being incorporated into byelaws for all new

construction. This will utilise the average annual rainfall of 900 – 970mm and reduce the need to pump water from lower levels.

In Australia, where there is a high demand for lawn and garden watering, new government legislation has been introduced to increase the number of RWH systems. In response to private households consuming over 70% of water supply in Sydney, the government of New South Wales introduced the Building Sustainability Index (BASIX).

The programme will ensure that homes are designed to use less potable water and produce fewer greenhouse gases.
BASIX sets water reduction targets for houses and implies that RWH systems are essential to realise these targets.

Belgiumhas national legislation that supports RWH systems and requires that all new constructions have a system that can be used for toilet flushing and external water uses. This legislation has been devised for two main purposes:
to help reduce demand for mains supply water; and to collect and use rainwater as part of SUDS (Sustainable drainage measures which alleviate flood risks both at a development site and elsewhere in the catchment ) systems.

But Rain Water Harvesting systems will be most effective where:

All feasible water efficiency measures are already in place;

It is designed to ensure that energy use and carbon emissions are minimised;

It is installed, maintained and monitored appropriately.

Rainwater Harvesting Animation
Software Used: Google SketchUp Pro 8, Cinema 4D, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro

Additional readings and videos:

WE WANT WATER 2015

RAINWATER INTRODUCTION

RAINWATER HARVESTING

Thanks to Meetika Srivastava – FACEBOOK