19. Rainwater harvesting

Using water daily is something that all of us do. Water is used for many essential things like drinking, cleaning, and watering plants. Some of us use water in excess for many reasons that affect the availability of freshwater. 

Water conservation is a strategy that entails activities designed to manage water as a sustainable resource. It also covers actions aimed at safeguarding the hydrosphere and meeting existing and future water demands.

1. Water conservation allows for more effective use of water resources.

 

2. Water conservation ensures that we have enough usable water.

 

3. Water conservation aids in the reduction of water pollution.

 

4. Water conservation helps in increasing energy saving.

 

There are various measures in the conservation of water. Let us see what rainwater harvesting is and how it is done.

Water obtained through rain generally flows away as surface runoff. Rainwater can be saved and is used to replenish the groundwater levels of the earth.

It can also be defined as:

It is a traditional way of storing rainwater in underground tanks, lakes, ponds, and check-dams to be used in the future. The primary goal of rainwater harvesting is to allow the rainwater to percolate into the ground to replenish or recharge the "groundwater level".

 

Rooftops are good rain catchers. The rainwater falling on the roofs of houses, apartments, commercial buildings, and other structures is collected and stored in a surface tank to be used for domestic purposes.

 

 

 

This method collects rainwater from rooftops or open spaces and filters before being routed into percolation pits via pipes. Rainwater is filtered before entering recharge pits or ground wells.

 

 

People living in rural areas use various methods to collect, capture, store and conserve rainwater. The following are a few of the techniques that have been used:

 

 

It is one of the traditional methods of water harvesting system in Tamil Nadu. Eris is constructed so that if one eri's water overflows, it automatically gets diverted to the eri of the next village, as eris are interconnected.

 

 

 

Ooranis are small ponds where you can collect rainwater. The rainwater collected can be employed in a variety of domestic applications such as:

These ponds provide water to the people that live in the nearby villages.

 

 

 

1. Rainwater harvesting overcomes the rapid depletion of  groundwater levels.

 

2. Rainwater harvesting helps to meet the rising freshwater demand.

 

3. Rainwater harvesting lowers the risk of flooding and soil erosion.

 

4. Water stored in the ground is not contaminated by human or animal wastes and can thus be utilised for drinking.