Do you have to wake up at five in the morning to fetch water before going out for work? Do you know that the South African city of Cape Town was nearing a state of no water and many other cities run the risk of hitting the same bottom soon? While you probably had a shower right now, whereas, it took 5 hours for a pregnant woman in a remote Rajasthan village to go and fetch one pot of water from the nearby river which drains the city stench and sewage. Such is the disparity of our realities, however, the irony is that we all are heading for the same doom. Nobody will be spared from the nature’s wrath. Water is our source of life and it is essential that we find sources to preserve, treat and recycle it. Rain water harvesting is a successful and low-cost method of collection and storage of rainwater in tanks, natural reservoirs and the infiltration of the surface water into sub-surface aquifers to avoid their runoff. Let us discuss in detail the environmental benefits of rainwater harvesting in the following section:
Charity begins at home:
Rainwater harvesting is a practice which is highly dependent on individual participation. It is every household’s contribution that shall realize a marked shift community-wise, not vice versa. Your garden or your terrace is the primary base for constructing your catchment area using tiles, metal sheets, plastic drums or digging pit in your garden. The collected water can be used for irrigation of plants, serving livestock, to water garden & plants, to bathe pets, etc. If equated with the volume of water used for all these things otherwise, we see the important role that rainwater harvesting plays.
Reducing runoff:
By rainwater harvesting we are able to hold the rainwater from causing destruction if left uncontrolled. It reduces the runoff caused by storm-water. If not checked, a storm’s peak flow volume and velocity in local water bodies such as ponds, lakes, rivers, creeks & streams runs the risk of stream bank erosion. Rainwater harvesting plays a major role in not only avoiding such a consequence but also using the abundant water sufficiently after strategically harvesting it.
Storm-water management:
As we began discussing the participative system which rainwater harvesting works on, we noted how individual efforts are imperative in creating a pan-community impact. The municipality takes storm-water management as one of its primary objectives and rainwater harvesting systems can be used as lucid and potent ways to meet the standards they deem necessary for effective water conversation.
Chemical-free & clean:
The extracted groundwater is hard and contaminated by the seeping-in of chemicals and other harmful elements. The pumped water is also treated with chemicals and is not all-favourable for irrigation of plants and gardens. Collected and stored rainwater in hygienic conditions is very useful for irrigation for being free of chemicals such as fluoride and chloramines (chlorine).
These are just few environmental benefits of rainwater harvesting. The pros of rainwater harvesting are still to be fully realized and we shall do that as and when we start putting this in practice in our own small way. Water conservation is the only alternative for us to survive in this planet after having caused ruthless depletion. Therefore, it is time that we put our priorities in place and put in efforts to construct rainwater-harvesting-friendly infrastructure and make the culture of water conservation a part of our lifestyle.
Recent Comments