A Project on the Harvesting of Water in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu

Course- political(H.)

Project of science and life

On

Harvesting of water in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu

Represented by the students of political science(H.)

Submitted to Submitted by

-Anuj Kumar sir (06, 16)

Neelu, komal

HARVESTING OF WATER IN RAJASTHAN AND TAMIL NADU

INTRODUCTION

Water in chemistry language it is a compound with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms that are connected by covalent bonds.

In basic language it is an essential component of our life which can be denoted as a symbol of our life and is also called as blue gold. Without water we cannot sustain in this earth. In our daily life if we see we find that we are the only one who consumes more water like for bathing we waste 10% water and in brushing 8% water is wasted. Figure no.1 shows that Our whole earth is covered by this water only, in which less than 3% water is fresh for drinking and out of this 3% water 1% of our water is present in the form of ice out of this 1% water 30.1% water is present as a ground water and 2% water is present in the form of rivers. So, this tells us that we need to preserve the water for us and for our next generation. Otherwise they have to face the plenty of water.

Water is the only compound which is lighter in its solid form than its liquid form. At room temperature it is a tasteless and odorless liquid. Water is the only common substance found naturally in all three common states of matter is solid, liquid, gas.

Water is also of two types which we can use. First, is soft water and second, is hard water. Soft water we can use for drinking, washing and others daily use, and hard water we can use it only when if it is changed from hard to soft water but that to we can, t use for drinking and can use for others work.

Water is the only natural resource that is used in exceedingly large quantities. The demand of water has considerably increased due to rapid increase in population, industrialization and agricultural use. Due to all these activities water is getting polluted but we need to preserve it for our next generation.

Figure-1 shows water quantity

Source- www.wikipidia/image/org

Water is widely distributed on Earth as freshwater and salt water in the oceans. The Earth is often referred to as the "blue planet" because when viewed from space it appears blue. This blue color is caused by reflection from the oceans which cover roughly 71% of the area of the Earth.

Fresh groundwater is of great value, especially in arid countries such as India. Its distribution is broadly similar to that of surface river water, but it is easier to store in hot and dry climates because groundwater storages are much more shielded from evaporation than are dams. In countries such as Yemen, groundwater from erratic rainfall during the rainy season is the major source of irrigation water. Through rainwater we can save our self and our world because we know that our life starts from water and ends on water, so we need to save it for our next generation. Water is present in small amount in our surrounding and we need to use it according to our needs and no need to use extra to waste water.

Because groundwater recharge is much more difficult to accurately measure than surface runoff, groundwater is not generally used in areas where even fairly limited levels of surface water are available. Even today, estimates of total groundwater recharge vary greatly for the same region depending on what source is used, and cases where fossil groundwater is exploited beyond the recharge rate are very

frequent and almost always not seriously considered when they were first developed.

Rainwater harvesting is the storage and deposition of rainwater for reuse when there is plenty of water. This water is used for livestock, for irrigation, gardening, vehicle washing, etc... and there are many methods to store water through this we can increase the ground water level and we can get the fresh water like in Chennai last year the government of Chennai made it important to have the harvesting system otherwise there toilet system should be cut.

WHY RAIN WATER HARVESTING:

Rain water harvesting is essential because:-

Surface water is inadequate to meet our demand and we have to depend on ground water. Due to rapid urbanization, infiltration of rain water into the sub-soil has decreased drastically and recharging of ground water has diminished. As you read this guide, seriously consider conserving water by harvesting and managing this natural resource by artificially recharging the system. The examples covering several dozen installations successfully operating in India constructed and maintained by CGWB, provide an excellent snapshot of current systems.

History (Earlier)

Around the third century BC, the farming communities in Baluchistan (in present-day Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran), and Kutch (in present-day India) used rainwater harvesting for irrigation.

In ancient Tamil Nadu (India), rainwater harvesting was done by Chola Kings. Rainwater from the Brihadeeswarar Temple was collected in Sivaganga tank. During the later Chola period, the Vīrānam tank was built (1011 to 1037 CE) in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu to store water for drinking and irrigation purposes. Vīrānam is a 16-kilometre (9.9 mi) long tank with a storage capacity of 1,465,000,000 cubic feet (41,500,000 m3).Rainwater harvesting was done in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh in the olden days. Ratanpur, in the state of Chhattisgarh, had around 150 ponds. Most of the tanks or ponds were utilized in agriculture works.

System setup

Rainwater harvesting systems can be installed with minimal skills. The system should be sized to meet the water demand throughout the dry season since it must be big enough to support daily water consumption. Specifically, the rainfall capturing area such as a building roof must be large enough to maintain adequate flow. Likewise, the water storage tank should be large enough to contain the captured water.

Present day

Currently in China and Brazil rooftop rainwater harvesting is being practiced for providing drinking water, domestic water, water for livestock, water for small irrigation and a way to replenish ground water levels. Gansu province in China and semi-arid north east Brazil have the largest rooftop rainwater harvesting projects ongoing.

India

In the state of Tamil Nadu, rainwater harvesting was made compulsory for every building to avoid ground water depletion. It proved excellent results within five years, and every state took it as role model. Since its implementation, Chennai saw a 50 percent rise in water level in five years and the water quality significantly improved.

In Rajasthan, rainwater harvesting has traditionally been practiced by the people of the Thar Desert. There are many ancient water harvesting systems in Rajasthan, which have now been revived Water harvesting systems are widely used in other areas of Rajasthan as well, for example the chauka system from the Jaipur district.

At present, in Pune (in Maharashtra), rainwater harvesting is compulsory for any new society to be registered.

An attempt has been made at Dept. of Chemical Engineering, IISc, and Bangalore to harvest rainwater using upper surface of a solar still, which was used for water distillation.

Theme

We mainly do the practice of rainwater harvesting to get the water when there is plenty of water, but the main purpose is that today we all know that in which situation we are living, today India stands on second no. in population so we need too much water to fulfill the needs, so this practice is being done to recover the gap which we had made. The main advantage is that through this practice our water ground level will increase and we will get the fresh water and we can fulfill the needs of citizens. The main things are:

• Makes use of a natural resource and reduces flooding, storm water, erosion, and contamination of surface water with pesticides, sediment, metals and fertilizers.

• Excellent source of water for landscape irrigation, with no chemicals such as fluoride and chlorine, and any dissolved salts and minerals from the soil.

• Home systems can be relatively simple to install and operate and it may reduce your water bill.

• Promotes both water and energy conservation.

1. Harvesting system in Rajasthan

In Rajasthan water is present in very less amount and it is dry area. Now there are many systems through which we can store water for long time. The water collection during the monsoon is used for irrigation, drinking, livestock and other domestic purposes. It improves the soil moisture in the fields and during winter it can be used for second crop cultivation. These systems are:

Paar system (kui) Talab system (bandhis Saza system (kuva) Johad system (dams) Kunds/kundis Kuis/beris Baoris Nadis

a) Paar system Paar system is a common water harvesting practice in the western Rajasthan region. It is a common place where the rainwater flows from the agar (catchment) and in the process percolates into the sandy soil. In order to access the rajani pani (percolated water) Kuis or beris are dug in the agro (storage area). Kuis or beris are normally 5 meters (m) to 12 m deep. The structure of kui was constructed through traditional masonry technology. Normally six to ten of them are constructed in a Paar. However depending on the size of the Paar the numbers of Kuis or beris are decided. Bhatti mentions that there are paars in Jaisalmer district where there are more than 20 Kuis are in operation. This is the most predominant form of rainwater harvesting in the region. Rainwater harvested through PAAR technique is known as Patali paani.

Figure-2: Top view of a kui

Source: www.rainharvesting.org

b) Talab/BandhisTalabs are reservoirs. They may be natural, such as the ponds (pokhariyan) at Tikamgarh in the Bundelkhand region. They can be human-made, such the lakes in Udaipur. A reservoir area of less than five bighas is called a talai; a medium sized lake is called a bandhis or Talab; bigger lakes are called sagar or samand. The pokhariyan serve irrigation and drinking purposes. When the water in these reserviors dries up just a few days after the monsoon, the pond beds are cultivated with rice.

c) Saza KuvaAn open well with multiple owners (Saza = partner), Saza kuva is the most important source of irrigation in the Aravalli hills in Mewar, eastern Rajasthan. The soil dug out to make the well pit is used to construct a huge circular foundation or an elevated platform sloping away from the well. The first is built to accommodate the rehat, a traditional water lifting device; the

sloping platform is for the chada, in which buffaloes are used to lift water. Saza kuva construction is generally taken up by a group of farmers with adjacent landholdings; a harva, a man with special skills in groundwater detection, helps fix the site.

d) JohadJohads are small earthen check dams that capture and conserve rainwater, improving percolation and groundwater recharge. Starting 1984, the last sixteen years have seen the revival of some 3000 johads spread across more than 650 villages in Alwar district, Rajasthan. This has resulted in a general rise of the groundwater level by almost 6 meters and a 33 percent increase in the forest cover in the area. Five rivers that used to go dry immediately following the monsoon have now become perennial, such as the River Arvari, has come alive.

Figure-3: picture of a johad Source: CRIDA

    

     

e) Kunds/KundisA kund or kundis looks like an upturned cup nestling in a saucer. These structures harvest rainwater for drinking, and dot the sandier tracts of the Thar Desert in western Rajasthan and some areas in Gujarat. Essentially a circular underground well, Kunds have a saucer-shaped catchment area that gently slopes towards the centre where the well is situated. A wire mesh across water-inlets prevents debris from falling into the well-pit. The sides of the well-pit are covered with (disinfectant) lime and ash. Most pits have a dome-shaped cover, or at least a lid, to protect the water. If need be, water can be drawn out with a bucket. The depth and diameter of Kunds depend on their use (drinking, or domestic water requirements). They can be owned by only

those with money to invest and land to construct it. Thus for the poor, large public Kunds have to be built.

f) Kuis/BerisFound in western Rajasthan, these are 10-12 m deep pits dug near tanks to collect the seepage. Kuis can also be used to harvest rainwater in areas with meager rainfall.The mouth of the pit is usually made very narrow. This prevents the collected water from evaporating. The pit gets wider as it burrows under the ground, so that water can seep in into a large surface area. The openings of these entirely cachucha (earthen) structures are generally covered with planks of wood, or put under lock and key. The water is used sparingly, as a last resource in crisis situations. Magga Ram Suthar, of village Pithla in Jaisalmer district in Rajasthan, is an engineer skilled in making Kuis/beris.

g) Baoris/BersBaoris or Bers are community wells, found in Rajasthan, that are used mainly for drinking. Most of them are very old and were built by banjaras (mobile trading communities) for their drinking water needs. They can hold water for a long time because of almost negligible water evaporation.

h) NadisNadis are village ponds, found near Jodhpur in Rajasthan. They are used for storing water from an adjoining natural catchment during the rainy season. The site was selected by the villagers based on an available natural catchments and its water yield potential. Water availability from nadi would range from two months to a year after the rains. They are dune areas range from 1.5 to 4.0 meters and those in sandy plains varied from 3 to 12 meters. The location of the nadi had a strong bearing on its storage capacity due to the related catchment and runoff characteristics.

Eco Friendly or not

This storage system is best and it is too much eco friendly because we are living in a modern world where we too much population lives and if there is population then we need to provide the facilities and basic resources to fulfill their needs, so for this we need to preserve water because water is also a natural resources and present in limited amount so to fulfill the needs we need to preserve it. So harvesting water is an eco friendly because it is useful for us in many ways, like:

Collecting and storing the water underground maintains the integrity, increase ground water level and beauty of your home and landscape.

Rainwater is extremely rich in nutrients. Using rainwater to irrigate will reduce fertilizer use. No chemicals have been added to rainwater. Wildlife Habitat - Because the water stored in the RainXchange System is

constantly moving and being aerated, it becomes a sanctuary for wildlife. Water Feature Lifestyle - Enhanced landscaping improves property value

and water features provide soothing sights and sounds that help you relax and de-stress in today's busy world.

Environmental Conservation - Capturing rainwater to operate the water feature creates true self-sustainability, drastically reducing the need for chemically-treated traditional water sources.

Figure-4 shows that how rain harvesting is important

Source: http://www.tjb-inc.com/images/

Harvesting system in Tamil Nadu

1) Sloping roofs

Roofs made of corrugated iron sheet, asbestos sheet or tiles can be utilized for harvesting the rainwater. Gutters and channels can be fixed on the edges of roof all around to collect and transport the rain water from the roof to the storage tank. Gutters can be prepared in semi-circular and rectangular shapes. Locally available material such as plain Galvanized Iron sheets can be easily folded to required shapes to prepare semi-circular and rectangular gutters. Semi-circular gutters of PVC material can be readily prepared by cutting the PVC pipes into two equal semi-circular channels. Bamboo poles can also be used for making gutters if they are locally available in sufficient quantity. Uses of such locally available materials reduce the overall cost of the system.

a) For common houses with RCC Roof

In houses with sloping roofs the rain water may be collected to the half cut PVC pipes fitted along the sloping sides and it may be directed to either sump/open well/bore well or recharge well.

b) Individual houses Existing Open well

Rainwater from the terrace is diverted to the existing open well using PVC pipes through a filter chamber

The minimum size of the filter chamber is 2.5' x 2.5' x 2.5' filled with broken bricks/ blue metal / pebbles and sand on the top.

The chamber may be covered with RCC slab.

c) Existing bore well

Settlement / filter tank of required size has to be provided Overflow water may be diverted to a percolation pit nearby The rate of recharge through bore well is less effective than open well

Defunct bore wells may also be used.

d) Multi-storied complexes Percolation Pit with Bore method

Construct one unit for 300 sq.ft. area (approx.) Construct a chamber of size 1 m x 1m x 1m A bore hole is to be drilled at the bottom of the percolation pit Borehole size 150 - 300mm dia with 10 - 15 ft. depth (approx.) Filled with broken bricks/blue metal/pebbles

Suitable for clay area

e) Recharge well (shallow / small)

o This is meant for large area with heavy run-offo Size : 3' dia with 5' - 15' deptho Constructed with concrete well ringso Side walls must be perforatedo Bottom 1' is filled with broken bricks (for cushion)o Covered with RCC slab/man hole

Suitable for sandy sub-soil area

2) Naula Naula is a surface-water harvesting method typical to the hill areas of Uttaranchal. These are small wells or ponds in which water is collected by making a stone wall across a stream.

Figure- 5: Naula figure

Source-www.jebaj.harvesting.com

3) EriApproximately one-third of the irrigated area of Tamil Nadu is watered by Eris (tanks). Eris have played several important roles in maintaining ecological harmony as flood-control systems, preventing soil erosion and wastage of runoff during periods of heavy rainfall, and recharging the groundwater in the surrounding areas. The presence of Eris provided an appropriate micro-climate for the local areas. Without Eris, paddy cultivation would have been impossible.Till the British arrived, local communities maintained Eris. Historical data from Chengalpattu district, for instance, indicates that in the 18th century about 4-5 per cent of the gross produce of each village was allocated to maintain Eris and other irrigation structures. Assignments of revenue-free lands, called manyams, were made to support village functionaries who undertook to maintain and manage Eris. These allocations ensured Eri upkeep through regular desilting and maintenance of sluices, inlets and irrigation channels.The early British rule saw disastrous experiments with the land tenure system in quest for larger land revenues. The enormous expropriation of village resources by the state led to the disintegration of the traditional society, its economy and polity. Allocations for maintenance of Eris could no longer be supported by the village communities, and these extraordinary water harvesting systems began to decline.Read more about Ganesan, the neerkatti who managed Eris

Figure-6: of Eri

4) Ooranis

The tanks, in south Travancore, though numerous, were in most cases Ooranis containing just enough water to cultivate the few acres of land dependent on them. The irregular topography of the region and the absence of large open spaces

facilitated the construction of only small tanks unlike large ones seen in the flat districts of the then Madras Presidency, now Tamil Nadu.

5) Katas / Mundas / Bandhas

The Katas, Mundas and Bandhas were the main irrigation sources in the ancient tribal kingdom of the Gonds (now in Orissa and Madhya Pradesh). Most of these Katas were built by the village headmen known as gountias, who in turn, received the land from the Gond kings. Land here is classified into four groups on the basis of its topography: aat, (highland); mal (sloped land); berna (medium land); and bahal (low land). This classification helps to select a kata is constructed north to south, or east to west, of a village. A strong earthen embankment, curved at either end, is built across a drainage line to hold up an irregularly-shaped sheet of water. The undulations of the country usually determine its shape as that of a long isosceles triangle, of which the dam forms the base. It commands a valley, the bottom of which is the bahal land and the sides are the mal terrace. As a rule, there is a cut high up on the slope near one end of the embankment from where water is led either by a small channel or tal, or from field to field along terraces, going lower down to the fields. In years of normal rainfall, irrigation was not needed because of moisture from percolation and, in that case, the surplus flow was passed into a nullah. In years of scanty rainfall, the centre of the tank was sometimes cut so that the lowest land could be irrigated.

Some simple techniques for rain water harvesting are:-

Pits: - Recharge pits are constructed for recharging the shallow aquifer. These are constructed 1 to 2 m, wide and to 3 m. deep which are back filled with boulders, gravels, coarse sand.

Trenches: - These are constructed when the permeable stram is available at shallow depth. Trench may be 0.5 to 1 m. wide, 1 to 1.5m deep and 10 to 20 m. long depending up availability of water. These are back filled with filter materials.

Dug wells: - Existing dug wells may be utilized as recharge structure and water should pass through filter media before putting into dug well.

Hand pumps: - The existing hand pumps may be used for recharging the shallow/deep aquifers, if the availability of water is limited. Water should pass through filter media before diverting it into hand pumps.

Recharge wells: - Recharge wells of 100 to 300 mm. diameter are generally constructed for recharging the deeper aquifers and water is passed through filter media to avoid choking of recharge wells.

Recharge Shafts: - For recharging the shallow aquifer which are located below clayey surface, recharge shafts of 0.5 to 3 m. diameter and 10 to 15 m. deep are constructed and back filled with boulders, gravels & coarse sand.

Lateral shafts with bore wells: - For recharging the upper as well as deeper aquifers lateral shafts of 1.5 to 2 m. wide & 10 to 30 m. long depending upon availability of water with one or two bore wells is constructed. The lateral shafts are back filled with boulders, gravels & coarse sand.

Spreading techniques: - When permeable strata start from top then this technique is used. Spread the water in streams/Nalas by making check dams, Nalas bunds, cement plugs, gabion structures or a percolation pond may be constructed.

Conclusion

So conclusion we found is that rain water harvesting is too much need in today’s world we can see through an eg. Like due to more population we are unable to get the land only because of this we have to live in small-small compartments. So in the same way if we will not save the water in this too we have to face the problem and instead of getting fresh water we have to drink the artificial water. So water harvesting is essential for us because it gives us many benefits.

Reference

1. ̂ USGS - Earth's water distribution2. ̂ Reisner, Marc; Cadillac Desert: The American West and its Disappearing

Water; pp. 438-442. ISBN 0-14-017824-43. ̂ Brown, J. A. H.; Australia’s surface water resources. ISBN 0-644-02567-

X.4. ̂ Rain water harvesting by fresh water flooded forests5. ̂ "Rain water Harvesting". Tamilnadu State Government, India. Retrieved

23 January 2012.6. ̂ "Believes in past, lives in future". The Hindu (India). 17 July 2010.7. http://www.tjb-inc.com/images.8. http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org9. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki file:earth-water-distribution10.http://www.jebay.harvesting.com11.http://shop.tjb-inc.com