PUNE: In 2002, when colonel Shashikant Dalvi decided to settle in Vimannagar after his retirement, he did not foresee the acute water shortage the area was going to face. While his residential society did have its own borewell, the yield was of less than half an hour. The society was forced to purchase as many as three tankers every day in summer, running up monthly bills of nearly Rs 30,000.
That was when Dalvi decided to try out rainwater harvesting, an idea he had seen implemented during his service years in areas of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, but practically unheard of in Pune.
"I was looking for guidance to set up the project, but not much was forthcoming. With a little bit of theoretical information as a starting-point, I took my society's management committee into confidence and installed the first phase of the rainwater harvesting project in May 2002 on 3,000 sq ft, which was one-fourth of the total roof-top surface we had, with a system to directly inject the collected water into our borewell," he said.
The rain gods obliged the very next month, and with the replenished groundwater table, the society's tanker requirement reduced by 50%. Encouraged, the society decided to implement the project on the remaining 9,000 sq ft as well. "We have not called for a single tanker after 2003," Dalvi said. The borewell's recharged groundwater has ensured a daily yield of more than nine hours now.
A local hero by then, Dalvi started spreading awareness about the benefits of rainwater harvesting to others in the city. "It is the need of the hour and a logical and simple solution to the city's problem of water shortage," he said.
Since 2003, Dalvi has conducted numerous awareness campaigns about the ease and benefits of implementing rainwater harvesting. While it started with nearby societies, the movement gradually spread to the city's schools, colleges, hospitals, social clubs and even political parties, across other cities too, including Mumbai, Buldhana, Satara, Akola and Amravati.
Bhaskar Bhatlekar, who lives on Apte Road, said they installed the rainwater-harvesting system in their society in 2012. "We had to think of an alternative when the regular water supply from the civic body and six additional tankers in a month too proved insufficient for the 19 apartments. The idea of rainwater harvesting appealed to all of us instantly. While we are told that real benefits will accrue only after two years, we felt it is a worthwhile investment," he said.
A hospital in the heart of the city also turned to Dalvi in 2008 when they faced acute water shortage. "The water supply from the civic body was insufficient and we were purchasing more than 900 additional tankers every year. Our bore well too had almost dried up. With guidance from Dalvi, we installed the rainwater harvesting project on our site and managed to collect and refill our bore well in the monsoon. Since that year, all our water needs are met from our own well. We now order less than 100 tankers a year, that too only on days when there is a declared water cut," said Prashant Bachal, deputy manager of maintenance at the hospital.
Bachal said the water-routing achieved by their RWH installation was a cost-effective decision year on year and has also ended up benefitting adjoining properties because the groundwater table has risen.
Tangible benefits notwithstanding, Dalvi admits that it is difficult to convince people to spend money on implementing rainwater harvesting. According to him, many societies have not done it despite the civic body making rooftop rainwater harvesting mandatory for all new buildings that have come up since 2007. "Everyone wants to dig bore wells, but you need to recharge the aquifers," he said.
According to Dalvi, there are more than 7,000 bore wells and close to 1,000 open wells in the city. "The groundwater level is decreasing at an alarming rate of 3-5 meters every year. Rainwater harvesting must be implemented on a war footing and it requires the participation of all stakeholders__ from builders and societies to flat owners and even industries," he said.
Rajya Sabha MP Vandana Chavan said harvesting rainwater is beneficial not just for meeting immediate demand for water, but for replenishing the groundwater and for maintaining the green cover.
"Many cities have shown that it is possible to solve the water problem with rainwater harvesting. With the groundwater table fast depleting, we need to make it compulsory by law if we have to reverse the damage," she said.
Chavan points to the lethargy in dealing with projects related to rainwater harvesting. "Before I became an MP, I had got the MLCs to allot funds for installing rainwater harvesting plants in three ward offices in the city. However, because of the unresponsive and apathetic working of the civic administration, timely work was not done and the funds eventually lapsed," she said.
Awareness of the benefits of rainwater harvesting must be spread not just among housing societies and residences, but also among industries, panchayats, zilla parishads and municipal corporations, she added.
That was when Dalvi decided to try out rainwater harvesting, an idea he had seen implemented during his service years in areas of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, but practically unheard of in Pune.
"I was looking for guidance to set up the project, but not much was forthcoming. With a little bit of theoretical information as a starting-point, I took my society's management committee into confidence and installed the first phase of the rainwater harvesting project in May 2002 on 3,000 sq ft, which was one-fourth of the total roof-top surface we had, with a system to directly inject the collected water into our borewell," he said.
The rain gods obliged the very next month, and with the replenished groundwater table, the society's tanker requirement reduced by 50%. Encouraged, the society decided to implement the project on the remaining 9,000 sq ft as well. "We have not called for a single tanker after 2003," Dalvi said. The borewell's recharged groundwater has ensured a daily yield of more than nine hours now.
A local hero by then, Dalvi started spreading awareness about the benefits of rainwater harvesting to others in the city. "It is the need of the hour and a logical and simple solution to the city's problem of water shortage," he said.
Since 2003, Dalvi has conducted numerous awareness campaigns about the ease and benefits of implementing rainwater harvesting. While it started with nearby societies, the movement gradually spread to the city's schools, colleges, hospitals, social clubs and even political parties, across other cities too, including Mumbai, Buldhana, Satara, Akola and Amravati.
Bhaskar Bhatlekar, who lives on Apte Road, said they installed the rainwater-harvesting system in their society in 2012. "We had to think of an alternative when the regular water supply from the civic body and six additional tankers in a month too proved insufficient for the 19 apartments. The idea of rainwater harvesting appealed to all of us instantly. While we are told that real benefits will accrue only after two years, we felt it is a worthwhile investment," he said.
A hospital in the heart of the city also turned to Dalvi in 2008 when they faced acute water shortage. "The water supply from the civic body was insufficient and we were purchasing more than 900 additional tankers every year. Our bore well too had almost dried up. With guidance from Dalvi, we installed the rainwater harvesting project on our site and managed to collect and refill our bore well in the monsoon. Since that year, all our water needs are met from our own well. We now order less than 100 tankers a year, that too only on days when there is a declared water cut," said Prashant Bachal, deputy manager of maintenance at the hospital.
Bachal said the water-routing achieved by their RWH installation was a cost-effective decision year on year and has also ended up benefitting adjoining properties because the groundwater table has risen.
Tangible benefits notwithstanding, Dalvi admits that it is difficult to convince people to spend money on implementing rainwater harvesting. According to him, many societies have not done it despite the civic body making rooftop rainwater harvesting mandatory for all new buildings that have come up since 2007. "Everyone wants to dig bore wells, but you need to recharge the aquifers," he said.
According to Dalvi, there are more than 7,000 bore wells and close to 1,000 open wells in the city. "The groundwater level is decreasing at an alarming rate of 3-5 meters every year. Rainwater harvesting must be implemented on a war footing and it requires the participation of all stakeholders__ from builders and societies to flat owners and even industries," he said.
Rajya Sabha MP Vandana Chavan said harvesting rainwater is beneficial not just for meeting immediate demand for water, but for replenishing the groundwater and for maintaining the green cover.
"Many cities have shown that it is possible to solve the water problem with rainwater harvesting. With the groundwater table fast depleting, we need to make it compulsory by law if we have to reverse the damage," she said.
Chavan points to the lethargy in dealing with projects related to rainwater harvesting. "Before I became an MP, I had got the MLCs to allot funds for installing rainwater harvesting plants in three ward offices in the city. However, because of the unresponsive and apathetic working of the civic administration, timely work was not done and the funds eventually lapsed," she said.
Awareness of the benefits of rainwater harvesting must be spread not just among housing societies and residences, but also among industries, panchayats, zilla parishads and municipal corporations, she added.
International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance- IRHA
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- New article by Marianne de Nazareth, a Journalist for RWH, about the dire need for rainwater harvesting in Bangalore, with the city facing critical water shortages that will only worsen as the summer progresses: http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/no-water-to-tap-into/article4647249.ece
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- Wonderful video by Kanchan Nepal (KN) of the children of Shivalaya School busy drawing their pictures for the "Catch the Rain" art competition, held on World Water Day! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HMerEvvOg8&feature=youtu.be
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- Interesting documentary by Saleem Shaikh (a Journalist for RWH) and Sughra Tunio about how Nepalese farmers are adapting to changing monsoon patterns, including changing their crops and rainwater harvesting: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/multimedia/video-and-audio/detail.dot?mediaInode=5214100f-5425-4fe3-af62-fcf5f0d163da
- Great article from Nepal about how rainwater harvesting can help mitigate the water crisis facing Kathmandu, including expert advice from IRHA member Centre for Integrated Urban Development (CIUD): http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Harvesting+the+rain&NewsID=372598
- We are very pleased to welcome a new IRHA Private Sector Member Design-Aire Engineering, Inc. to our network. Design-Aire Engineering Inc. has provided international engineering for commercial and off grid Heating, Air Conditioning, Plumbing, and Electrical applications; and energy and resource systems management systems since 1983. Visit their website to find out more: http://www.daengineering.com/
- There is a brand new post on our Journalists for RWH blog by Marianne de Nazareth. She reports on The Serai Bandipur resort in India where they conserve every last drop of rainwater: http://journalistsforrwh.blogspot.ch/2013/04/rwh-on-war-footing-by-serai-group-in.html
- Wonderful photo of children from Lamasheigu School in Ghana. It was taken while our Project Managers visited their school which is part of our Blue Schools project in Tamale, Ghana.
- Our Blue Schools Plus project in Nepal is almost finished! Kanchan Nepal (KN) have posted an update for two of the schools - Arunodaya and Ramkot - and as you can see in these photos, the work in the schools is almost compete. Work in these schools was started later than the other two (Shivalaya and Jateshwor), but by the end of this month, everything will be finished.
- Une vidéo intéressante par RTS sur la consommation de l'eau salée dans le Gujarat, en Inde, et la façon dont l'eau de pluie peut fournir une source alternative d'eau: http://www.rts.ch/g/K5sX (An interesting video by RTS about the consumption of saline water in Gujarat, India, and how rainwater harvesting can provide an alternative source of water - in French)
- Great photo album from Kanchan Nepal (KN) of Vessela's recent trip to Nepal!
- Time is running out for you to help us start our next Blue Schools project!!! We are trying to raise $30,000 to give a school in Burkina Faso access to water and sanitation - but we need your help. By contributing to this project, 282 child...See More
- Interesting new article by Saleem Shaikh in AlertNet about the recent increased rainfall in Islamabad - but experts warn that reforestation and better water management are needed in the long term: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/record-rains-ease-islamabads-water-shortage/
- In celebration of World Water Day, the Kashmir Observer published an article by the IRHA about the use of rainwater harvesting in homes and schools. We hope you enjoy it! http://kashmirobserver.net/news/features/rainwater-harvesting-home-and-school
International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance- IRHA updated their cover photo.
Young student in Shivalay School in Nepal hard at work for the "Catch the Rain" rainwater harvesting art competition!
- On World Water Day, Arathi Manay (a Journalist for RWH) travelled to Mokhada, India, to visit one the schools celebrating this day with "Catch the Rain" art competition. Thanks to the local partner Project AROEHAN, Arathi visited the Government Ashram School Chas and saw the children paint, as well as explored the local area. Read her excellent article to find out more about her day: http://arathimy.wordpress.com/2013/03/24/visit-to-mokhada-on-world-water-day-2013/
- 54 students from Shivalay School in Nepal took part in our "Catch the Rain" rainwater harvesting art competition to celebrate World Water Day. Shivalay is one of the schools in our Blue Schools Plus project in the Kaski region of Nepal. Big thanks to our local Kanchan Nepal (KN) for organising this event!
- eKantipur has also joined the call for rainwater harvesting in Nepal! http://ekantipur.com/2013/03/22/headlines/Rainwater-harvesting-to-ease-water-scarcity/368831/
- During her recent visit to Nepal, our Executive Director, Vessela Monta, helped several WASH organisations create a Rainwater Harvesting Joint Statement. This Statement was released earlier today to coincide with World Water Day, and severa...See More
- Another article by a Journalist for RWH in time for World Water Day. Arathi Manay discusses what builders can be to reduce water problems in Bangalore: http://bangalore.citizenmatters.in/articles/view/5025-water-problems-what-builders-can-do
- To celebrate World Water Day, several of our Journalists for RWH have written special articles. Here is Vinod Nedumudy showing how young people in India are trying to spread the message about conserving drinking water sources and rainwater harvesting: http://journalistsforrwh.blogspot.ch/2013/03/when-young-generation-put-elder-one-to.html
- "Catch the Rain" rainwater harvesting art competition in one of our Blue Schools Plus in Nepal! Thanks to our local partner Kanchan Nepal (KN), 60 children from Shivalay School will be taking part in this competition to celebrate World Water Day.
- Happy World Water Day everyone!!
- Tomorrow is World Water Day and if you are holding a rainwater harvesting event to celebrate, we want to hear about it! Photos and stories posted on here could even make it into the next edition of our bRAINstorming newsletter...
- This Friday is World Water Day - a great opportunity to spread the word about rainwater harvesting! To celebrate this day, we have organised rainwater harvesting awareness raising activities in schools in India and Nepal, including the "Catch the Rain" art competition. How is everyone else celebrating, we would love to hear!
- INTEWA, an IRHA private sector member, has just launched a wonderful new knowledge portal. INTEWA Wiki presents the findings and fundaments from their 20 years of experience on rainwater harvesting and rainwater infiltration, as well as for water treatment and grey water harvesting. This is a great tool, so please check it out! http://wiki.intewa.net/index.php/Hauptseite/en
- Interesting article in Midday about how rainwater harvesting has helped drought stricken villages in Maharashtra, India, including an interview with Vessela Monta, our Executive Director: http://www.mid-day.com/lifestyle/2013/mar/170313-oasis-of-hope-for-farmers-of-maharashtras-drought-hit-villages.htm
- Arathi Manay, a Journalist for RWH, has written a wonderful article all about our Blue Schools Programme, featuring the Blue Schools project in Himachal Pradesh, India: http://arathimy.wordpress.com/2013/03/18/irha-helping-to-catch-every-drop/ Well worth a read!
- We are pleased to welcome a new Organisation Member to the IRHA network - Centre for Integrated Urban Development (CIUD)! CIUD is a Nepalese NGO working for Development, with a specific focus on WASH, RWH, solid waste management and the informal sector. Check out their website to find out more about them - http://www.ciud.org.np/new/
- Happy International Women's Day! Stella Barozi, a Journalist for RWH, has written a wonderful article in The Guardian about how RWH can relieve the burden on rural women: http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=52093 There are even a few quotes from the IRHA!
- Don't forget that we are still running our Raindrops Geneva Award 2013 competition! We are looking for posters that show the uses and/or benefits of rainwater harvesting, and everyone is welcome to enter!! Visit our website for more information: http://www.irha-h2o.org/?p=2088 We look forward to seeing your posters...
- There is a new post on our Journalists for Rainwater Harvesting blog! Marianne de Nazareth tells the story of her family's home in India that has harvested rainwater since the 1920s: http://journalistsforrwh.blogspot.ch/2013/03/old-fashioned-rwh-in-pilerne-goa-india.html
- There is still time for you to help us start our next Blue Schools project!!! We are trying to raise $30,000 to give a school in Burkina Faso access to water and sanitation - but we need your help. By contributing to this project, 282 children will get clean water in their school everyday - can you imagine going to school all day without a drink or using the toilet? Even the smallest contribution gets us closer to our target! Visit Indiegogo so we can start this project: http://igg.me/p/328035/x/2290058 Thanks!
- Vessela Monta, our Executive Director, is currently visiting the Blue Schools Plus project in Nepal!
- Interesting video by Daniel Grossman about the lack of water in poor Peruvian communities and how they are encouraged to get together to protest for their right to water - http://youtu.be/1j5wERO4tyE
- Great article by Marianne de Nazareth in the Hindu about different ways people are conserving water at home - http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/i-know-what-you-did-last-summer/article4460588.ece
- Two finished tanks in Shivalay School from our Blue Schools Plus project in the Kaski region of Nepal. The smaller tank on the right is to provide water for washing hands after going to the toilet. The two buildings with blue roofs are the new toilet blocks. Great work from our local parter Kanchan Nepal (KN) For more information on this project, visit our website: http://www.irha-h2o.org/?p=1629
- We have just released the latest edition of our bRAINstorming newsletter. To start the year, we have covered the work of our Private-Sector members - from information about their services to articles on their projects. We hope this newsletter encourages you to start harvesting the rain at home! http://www.irha-h2o.org/?wpfb_dl=329
- Excellent video by Saleem Shaikh (a Journalists for RWH) and Sughra Tunio in AlertNet. See how rainwater harvesting has made a huge difference to villages in Pakistan, improving their livelihood and reducing migration, as well as the need to role out RWH into the rest of the country. http://www.trust.org/alertnet/multimedia/video-and-audio/detail.dot?mediaInode=b21852a9-4976-4766-ab88-44299223fa5d
- Our Raindrops Geneva Award 2013! Thanks to Arathi Manay for the shout out! http://bangalore.citizenmatters.in/articles/view/4927-raindrops-geneva
- The University of Arizona is teaching its students how to harvest rainwater by implementing projects in their campus. Great work! http://azstarnet.com/news/local/university-of-arizona-students-installing-new-rainwater-harvesting-systems/article_95f6d985-3ef9-5a33-a544-52d06f331bef.html
- Great article in The Herald from our newest Journalist for Rainwater Harvesting, Jeffrey Gogo. Jeffrey investigates the impact rainwater harvesting could have on agriculture in Zimbabwe: http://www.herald.co.zw/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63965%3Airrigation-africas-missing-link&catid=41%3Abusiness&Itemid=133#.USIch2doJTf
- Help Lantaogo School get access to water and sanitation! Contribute to our new Blue Schools project in Burkina Faso, where we will introduce rainwater harvesting to give this school a sustainable supply of clean drinking water, as well as toilets, and many other activities. Every contribute helps us get closer to changing the lives of these school children. Thank you! http://igg.me/p/328035/x/2290058
- Circle of Blue have featured Vessela Monta, our Executive Director and Co-Founder, on their Action Figure series! Vessela talks about the importance of rainwater harvesting as well as our Blue Schools programme. Check it out on their website: http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/2013/action-figures/vessela-monta/
- There are far too many schools in the world that have no access to water and suffer poor sanitation conditions. Our Blue Schools projects work to improve these conditions in schools. However, finding funding for projects is always a battle. For our next project, we are looking to you, the public, to help us raise the money to give a school in Burkina Faso access to water and decent sanitation. Even the smallest contribution can help make a difference! If you can't contribute, please help us by spreading the word about this project - the more people we can reach the better. Together we can improve the lives of the 282 children attending Lantaogo school! Find out more about the project here: http://igg.me/p/328035/x/2290058
- Wonderful video about the revival of water harvesting structures in the Thar Desert of India. The collection of rainwater in a large pond has had a hugely positive impact on the life of a community. Watch out for contributions from the Jal ...See More
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Excellent work in the City of Tucson, Arizona, where they are encouraging rainwater harvesting in a big way! Residents can receive a rebate of up to $2,000 for installing a residential rainwater system.
- The toilet blocks for Luwasa Senior School are looking great! These blocks hold 32 out of the 67 toilets and urinals that are being built for the "Blue Schools in Ikorodu, Nigeria" project. This project is now very nearly finished thanks to our local partner, ASWAF. There is more information about this project on our website: http://www.irha-h2o.org/?p=280
- Great article by Suman K Apparusu, the Founder of CPPCIF - an IRHA Organisation Member - about her experiences of the COP18 in Doha. With an emphasis on Gender Equality, she highlights three strands that deserve a big mention http://chimalaya.org/2013/01/02/climate-change-and-gender-innovations-for-change-and-results-on-the-anvil/
- This is Lantaogo School in Burkina Faso. It has no water supply. We have created a project to provide this school with water and sanitation, as well as many other activities, but we need your help to make it happen.
Please help us reach our target to change the lives of the children in this school - every contribution helps! You can read about the project and contribute here: http://igg.me/p/328035/x/2290058 Thank you!!!
If you can’t contribute, please get the word out and make some noise about our campaign! Please help us reach as many people as possible.
- The new volleyball court in Malshegu School! This is one of the 18 schools that is part of our Blue Schools project in Tamale, Ghana. By the end of this project, every school will have a volleyball court. Our local partner for this project in RUWADCP. Find out more about this project on our website: http://www.irha-h2o.org/?p=1371
- We need your help! We have just posted a new Blue Schools project on Indiegogo, and we need your help to raise the funds! The project is in Lantaogo Primary School in Burkina Faso - a school with no water and poor sanitation. We will provid...See More
- There is a new post on our Journalists for Rainwater Harvesting blog! Arathi Manay highlights two rainwater harvesting books that have been released in India. Read about these books, and maybe get yourself a copy! http://journalistsforrwh.blogspot.in/2013/01/inspirational-and-instructional-books.html
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Free rainwater harvesting lesson focusing on large-scale systems tomorrow in Dallas. If you are in the area, why not go?
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Really great poster on the water cycle!
- Excellent article in The Standard by our new Journalist for Rainwater Harvesting - Chipo Masara - about the need for rainwater harvesting in Zimbabwe: http://www.thestandard.co.zw/2013/01/13/water-harvesting-way-to-avert-crisis/
- We have updated several of the Blue Schools downloads on our website, including the poster and leaflet: http://www.irha-h2o.org/?p=1060
- There are some new Blue Schools photo albums on our Blue Schools Programme page! Including a collection of the tanks and toilets, which make up an important part of all Blue Schools projects.
- Watch the slideshow of our activities in 2012! It includes photos from all the Blue Schools projects that were finished or underway last year, as well as other IRHA activities. We hope you enjoy it! http://youtu.be/HWHDYqZOgHU
- We have also updated the "Blue Schools in Tamale, Ghana" page of our website. There is now information about the two healthcare centres, Sankpagla and Gbullung, that are part of this project: http://www.irha-h2o.org/?p=1371
Rain water harvest technology is very simple. This water we can use for our home, agriculture,Fish farm, Aquarium, Farm etc. This method is very useful for and proved. Quantity of water can be collected from the each place is based on the available rain in that area.
ReplyDeleteRain water harvesting is the need of time. due to the shortage of rain fall, it is very essential to save the rain water for future purpose.i like this blog very much thanks for sharing with us.
ReplyDelete