Article | Rain water harvesting can be secure our future | Dr (Ms) Sharad Singh | Central Chronicle

 Today my article "Rain water harvesting can be secure our future" has been published in the Sunday edition of #CentralChronicle. Please read it.  

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Article

Rain water harvesting can be secure our future

-    Dr (Ms) Sharad Singh

Writer, Author & Social Activist

Blogger - "Climate Diary Of Dr (Ms) Sharad Singh

The temperature of the earth is increasing continuously. The uses of ground water have increased even faster. Overpopulation and our carelessness towards conservation of natural resources are both the reasons for water scarcity. Incidents of beatings for drinking water have started coming to the fore again. This exposes our weak water management. It is necessary that every citizen should become self-depend for water so that no one has to face water crisis. The most practical way to do this is through rainwater harvesting which is today's biggest demand of the time.

We all know that about 71 percent of the earth is covered by water. Apart from this, 1 to 6 percent of the water is underground. That is, even after all this; the most difficult thing is water. 97% of the water on Earth's surface is in the oceans, which is not potable due to being salty. Only 3 percent of the water is potable, of which 2.4 percent is stored in the glaciers of the North and South Poles. More or less it is also not accessible for drinking. Now only 0.6% water is left. Where it is used for drinking, which is in rivers, lakes and ponds. Apart from this, drinking water is also extracted from 1.6 percent of the water reserves present under the ground. Even after this, during the summer season, most parts of the country often experience drought-like conditions. Therefore, experts believe that when the water rains, then our utmost attention should be on saving this water. At the same time, we can imagine a better life for the future by securing the water that comes out of the houses inside the earth.

Billions of people in India live in cities and the demand for water in these cities is very high. Urban administrations are trying to meet most of this demand through their water supply system. But, there are still many such areas in all the cities, where the government services of water supply have not reached. There are many reasons behind the origin of these problems. This also includes a reduction in the number of water available with municipal corporations for supply to citizens. Apart from this, the shortcomings of water management of cities are also responsible for such a situation. That is why all the municipal corporations of the country are now constantly trying to improve the water supply in the cities. For this, they are constantly trying to provide more water to the city dwellers by collecting different sources, such as rivers, lakes, canals, ground water and rain water.

The process of collecting rainwater in certain ways is called rainwater harvesting. With its help, the level of water inside the ground rises. This technology is being adopted all over the world. This system can be used in all the places where there is a minimum 200 mm of rain every year. This can ensure the availability of water for the future. Where water is not available in sufficient quantity, water is supplied through pipelines. There by proper arrangement of rain water harvesting systems, the water needs of all the communities can be met. Seeing the benefits of rainwater harvesting, many city administrations in India are trying to popularize and implement the idea of rainwater harvesting. So that rainwater harvesting facilities can be established in private and government buildings, houses and housing societies, institutions and public places. But still rainwater harvesting has not been fully implemented. Just as laws are being implemented to make houses earthquake resistant, in the same way, it will be mandatory to install rainwater harvesting systems in the construction of new houses. Only then will these people be serious about it.

The Parliamentary Committee on Urban Development, in its report presented in 2015, recommended that rainwater harvesting systems should be installed in all central government offices and residential buildings. The committee had also said that updated data related to this should be prepared. The committee had made the same recommendation in its earlier report released in 2013. According to NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India), Rain Water Harvesting is considered as a simple, practical and eco-friendly way of conserving water and recharging ground water. In such a situation, rainwater harvesting has been made mandatory in many states of the country. According to the Ministry of Urban Development, up to 55,000 liters of water can be conserved every year per 100 square meters of roof area. In Madhya Pradesh, rainwater harvesting has been made mandatory in all buildings constructed on an area of 140 sqm or more.

It is true that rainwater harvesting has its own hazards but they are not more than water crises, they can be overcome with little care. Rain water is clean to a great extent, but if there is pollution in the environment, then there is a danger of rainwater getting polluted too. Even if rainwater is not collected and stored properly, there is a risk of it getting polluted. Because of this many challenges arise. The level of pollution in the cities of India remains very poor and there is every possibility that this pollutant will have a bad effect on the rain water as well. Roofs of buildings or where the rainwater collects, vacant land, those places are also prone to dust, bird filth, insects and garbage. If these impurities are not prevented from entering the pipes, storage tanks or pits, the quality of the water deteriorates, and there is a danger of filling the pits or tanks with sediment. Zinc or lead can also be adulterated in the collected rain water. The reason for this is leakage from metals, pipes or tanks on the roof. If water containing such impurities is used for drinking, serious health problems can arise.

Hence reducing the risk of water contamination, planning how much water to store, filtering leaves and waste, arranging for diverting the first rain water, covering tanks, stormwater harvesting, etc. Preventing entry into the tank, proper management of water stored in the tank and provision of filters to prevent sediment accumulation. At the same time, it is necessary to regularly check the level of water stored in the tank and ensure proper use of water. The government should make efforts to make citizens more aware of the economic and environmental benefits of rainwater harvesting as well as high-rise buildings in densely populated areas, such as multi-storey buildings, housing societies, buildings of institutions and businesses. Arrangement of rain water harvesting should be ensured in the buildings in time.

Actually, explaining the importance of rain harvesting to the people, it is most important to instill confidence in it so that people can understand how important it is for the availability of water in the future. That is, it is necessary that we make a habit of storing water in every rain by water harvesting.

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 (22.05.2022)

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