By Amit Doshi
Today, the water crisis has become a reality, a scarce commodity almost everywhere in the state, lamenting that water, which is a natural and renewable resource is ‘not free anymore’ and bottled water, which comes at a dear price, has become a necessity. There is a growing need to improve the use of water by encouraging judicious use of water, reducing water waste and fully utilise and store rainwater in all probable storage sites through sensitisation and awareness programmes involving local authorities.
In order to meet various purposes, run-off water from the catchment areas into rivers and streams can be blocked and diverted to water harvesting structures, construction of rainwater harvesting structures to tap rainwater from rooftops, construction of farm ponds for storage of monsoon run-offs and recharging of groundwater should be adopted.
Harness of the available water resources and their proper management is a top priority, water conservation is not to stop or prevent the use of water but to maximise its use efficiency. “Saving water doesn’t only help in conserving water, but it is a weapon to tackle the negative impact of climate change.”
Why CATCH THE RAIN?
Water collected in these Natural vessels (or say Resource) will
- Improve Soil moisture.
- Increase water table.
- Reduce the cost of pumping, saves money, energy.
- Increase greenery and vegetation.
- Reduce urban flooding and waterlogging.
- Reduce flood damages to roads, property.
- Reduce drinking water problems in summer.
- Enabling “Tanker Mukth towns”.
- Better environment- good water bodies-better aesthetics, better health, better life.
Campaign Concept:
Catch The Rain, with the tagline “Catch the rain, where it falls when it falls” is to nudge states and stakeholders:
- To create appropriate “Rain Water Harvesting Structures (RWHS)” to suit the climatic conditions and sub-soil strata (before monsoon).
Activities proposed:
- Roof-top RWHS in all buildings.
- Water harvesting pits in all compounds.
- New and repairing of old check dams/ponds.
- Removal of encroachments of tanks.
- De-silting of tanks to increase their storage capacity.
- Removal of obstructions in the channels which bring water to them from the catchment areas.
- Repairs to traditional step-wells and other RWHS.
- Using defunct bore-wells/unused wells to recharge aquifers.
People’s participation
To facilitate these activities, states have been requested to open “Rain Centers” in each district– in Collectorates/Municipalities or GP offices. During this period, these Rain Centres will have a dedicated mobile phone number and will be manned by an engineer or a person well trained in RWHS. This centre act as a technical guidance centre to all in the district as to how to catch the rain, as it falls, where it falls.
Efforts should be made so that all buildings in the district should have rooftop RWHS and that the maximum quantity of rainwater falling in any compound should be impounded within the compound itself. The basic aim should be that No or only limited will water to flow out of the compound. This will help in improving soil moisture and raising the groundwater table. In urban areas it will reduce water gushing onto roads, damaging them and will prevent urban flooding.
Under the “Catch The Rain” initiative, all water bodies in the districts are to be enumerated, (checked with revenue records) and encroachments to be removed.
All District Collectors, heads of institutions like IIMs, IITs, Central Universities, Private Universities, Chairmen of Railways, Airport Authority, PSUs; DGs of Central Armed Police Force etc having large tracts of lands with them have been requested to take steps to “Catch the Rain”.
Rainwater Harvesting and Vardhman Envirotech :
Vardhman Envirotech offers simple, scientific and sensible methodologies that harvest Rainwater! Our expertise is to offer a site-specific efficient, economical and user-friendly solution to harvest crores of litres of RAIN Water every year at one time nominal cost…
Our Solutions are designed for Industries, Institutions, Townships, Bungalows, Flats or large open areas. We will help you to reuse rainwater for your daily needs and further recharge groundwater beneath. We believe technological advancements can only lead to a healthy and happy life. The same traditional remedies can’t address modern problems. We have to understand our problems in a modern context and address them with innovative products & solutions. We dedicate ourselves to the great cause of a sustainable environment.
To know more, please check Vardhman Envirotech.