The Hindu : Benefits of rainwater harvesting

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 13, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

Benefits of rainwater harvesting

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE June 12. Houses built on 30' x 40' or 30' x 50' sites with rainwater harvesting can halve their yearly dependency on water. A family with a plot of that size need spend only Rs.6,000 to Rs.6,500 on a rainwater harvesting system, according to Vishwanath, a member of a Bangalore-based Rain Water Club.

Mr. Vishwanath, a civil engineer working on rainwater harvesting, who was invited by Prasthutha, an association of IISc students, to speak on the topic here on Thursday, said a 20 sq m ``Ashraya'' house could through rainwater harvesting, get 500 mm rain or 10,000 litres in an average rain year i.e., "enough drinking/cooking water for a family of five.''

He cited rainwater harvesting by industries here — they paid Rs.60 per kilolitre to the City water board — to save on water bills.

The Escorts Mahle-Goetz India plant in Yelahanka, for example, saved Rs.37 lakh a year on water bills. Denso Kirloskar in Nelamangala and even the Raj Bhavan had invested in rainwater harvesting, he said.

Mr. Vishwanath said any roofing, RCC, asbestos, thatched or glass, or even the ground surface, could be used for rainwater harvesting. An area of 100 sq m could in an average rain year, harvest 80,000 litres. After collection, water should be filtered (through layers of sponge, sand or rocks), stored (in a sump, tank etc.,), used and then re-charged (ground water).

Of the State's 208 towns, 190 got 67 litres per capita daily on an average, 46 towns were completely dependent on borewells. Yet in cities such as Bangalore an individual used an average of 135 litres a day, with the most water (40 litres) used in toilets, washing clothes/utensils (45 litres). Besides Bangalore was a high altitude city with no perennial source. It had a rapidly growing population and its Water Board spent Rs.18 per kilolitre to pump water from 100 km away.

To know more, log onto www.rainwaterclub.org or Ph: 3641690.

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Benefits of rainwater harvesting