BACKGROUND

OF THE TOTAL WATER AVAILABLE 94% IS OCEAN WATER, &

ONLY 2% IS FRESH WATER & BALANCE IN OTHER FORMS.

BUT DUE TO UNPLANNED, WASTEFUL & BLIND USE OF THIS

PRECIOUS GIFT OF NATURE, THE DAY IS NOT FAR AWAY
WHEN ONE SHALL HAVE TO STARVE FOR WATER.

SO RAIN WATER HARVESTING IS NEED OF THE HOUR DUE TO

DECREASING TREND OF GROUND WATER
Water everywhere starts as Rain

Rain is the source of all

water in the world. 98%
of the world’s supply of
water is salt water in the
oceans. 1% of pure water
is in the arctic glaciers.
The last 1% goes
through the water cycle.
HYDROLOGIC CYCLE
 TERMINOLOGY

Precipitation - it denotes all forms of water that reach earth from the
atmosphere as rainfall, snowfall, hail etc

Depression storage - part of precipitation used for filling small

depressions in the ground

Infiltration - the portion of precipitation which percolates into the ground

Surface runoff - a large portion of precipitation left after infiltration flows

over the ground into the streams
WHAT IS RAIN WATER HARVESTING ?
The principle of collecting and using
precipitation from a catchments
surface.

Rainwater harvesting is the capture,

diversion, and storage of rainwater
for later use
BASICS
OF
BUYING WATER WHILE IT IS RAINING
GET FEW BUCKETS OF ROOF WATER
POUR SOME EXCESS INTO THE SUMP
CONNECT A HOSE AND DIVERT
DIVERT THE ENTIRE ROOF WATER
ADD A FILTER

Roof top rain water is collected
using a PVC pipe

Filtered using sand and bricks

Underground pipe takes water to

sump for immediate usage.

Excess water from the sump is

taken to the well.

Water from the well recharges the

underground

Take water from the well (later)

SIMPLEST WAY OF RAINWATER HARVESTING
 NECESSITY OF RAIN WATER HARVESTING

TO ARREST THE DECLINE IN GROUND WATER LEVELS.

TO OVERCOME THE INADEQUACY OF SURFACE WATER
TO MEET OUR DEMANDS.

TO ENHANCE AVAILIBILITY OF GROUND WATER AT
SPECIFIC PLACES & TIME & UTILISE RAIN WATER FOR
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

TO INCREASE INFILTRATION OF RAIN WATER IN THE
SUB-SOIL WHICH HAS DECREASED DRASTICALLY
PARTICULARLY IN URBAN AREAS.

TO HARNESS GOOD QUALITY WATER RESOURCE NOW
BEING WASTED

TO AUGMENT THE EXPENSIVE PIPED WATER SUPPLY
 BENEFITS

Save expenditure on water

Inexpensive and simple technology

Aids ecological conservation

Prevent groundwater depletion

Reduces demand on municipal water supply

Makes efficient use of a valuable resource

Reduces flooding, erosion, and contamination of surface

water
 BASIC TYPES

ROOF TOP RAIN WATER HARVESTING &

STORAGE IN TANKS.

ROOF TOP RAIN WATER HARVESTING &

RECHARGING OF SUBSURFACE AQUIFER.

SURFACE RUN-OFF HARVESTING &

RECHARGING OF SUBSURFACE AQUIFER
 How Rainwater
Harvesting Works

 A rainwater harvesting system consists of

 The supply – rainwater
 The demand
 The collection system
 Simple and complex systems
 Simple – distribute rainwater immediately
 Complex – store some or all of rainwater for later
use
 Supply: Rainfall

 Supply comes in the form of runoff, rainwater

that flows off a surface.
 If the surface is impermeable, runoff occurs
immediately.
 Pavement
 Concrete
 Roofs
 If the surface is permeable, runoff occurs
when the surface is saturated.
Demand: Water Requirements

The amount of water needed is determined

by
 Domestic Water Demand
 Industrial Water Demand
 Institutional & Commercial Water Demand
 Demand for Public Uses
 Fire Demand
 Water Requirement to Compensate Losses
 Simple Rainwater
Harvesting Systems

 A simple water harvesting system consists of

 Catchment
 Distribution System
 Landscape Holding Area
 Complex Rainwater
Harvesting Systems
 A complex rainwater harvesting system
consists of catchments, a conveyance
system, storage, and a distribution system.
 Catchments
 Conveyance Systems
 Storage
 Distribution System
 Complex Rainwater
Harvesting Systems
Catchments
 The “yield” that a catchment provides depends on its
size and surface texture.
 Surface textures include:
 High yield – concrete, asphalt, and smooth roofing
material
 Medium yield – bare soil; compacted clay best

 Low yield – areas with plants, such as grass or

groundcover

Conveyance Systems
 Direct water from catchments to storage containers
 Roof conveyance systems use canals or gutters and
downspouts to direct water into storage containers
 Complex Rainwater
Harvesting Systems
Storage
 Storage makes rainwater available when needed.
 Filtration – water should be filtered before storage.
 Filtration considerations include:
 Degree of filtration – depends on size of distribution
tubing and emission devices used; water should be
filtered enough so that particles do not clog distribution
system
 Type of filter – inline, leaf screens, diversion by
roofwashing to a PVC standpipe
 Containers may be made of polyethylene, fiberglass, wood,
concrete, or metal; underground or above-ground
Distribution System
 Network of pipe
 Use valves for a gravitational system and a pump for an electric
system to control flow.
Did you know that?
A well is not a storage tank to hold
water. It helps to collect the rain
water and charge it underground and
later bring it out.
Roof water and run off water can be
diverted into dried up bore wells after filling
of the wells with pebbles and river sand.
There should be an effective arrangement
for desilting before diverting the water
into these wells.
 Designing and Building a Complex
Rainwater Harvesting System
 Step 1: Site Analysis
 Draw the site to scale, using arrows to plot existing
drainage patterns, and showing high and low areas.
 Identify possible catchments, such as pavements, roof
surfaces, and bare earth.
 Identify areas requiring irrigation and sites near them
where storage could be located (above ground or
underground).
 Plan ways to move water from catchments to storage
containers or holding areas, using gravity when possible.
 Plan ways to move water between landscaped areas.
 Designing and Building a Complex
Rainwater Harvesting System
 Step 2: Calculations
 Calculate Supply
SUPPLY (gal) = Rainfall (in) x 0.623 x Catchment Area (sq ft) x Runoff Coefficient

 Multiply rainfall in inches by 0.623 to convert inches to

gallons per square foot.
 Multiply the result by the area of the catchment in square
feet.
 Multiply this result by the runoff coefficient to obtain the
available supply.
 The runoff coefficient is the percentage of total rainfall that can
be harvested from a particular source.
 Runoff coefficients can be found in hydrology textbooks.
EXAMPLE
A = 45’ x 25’
B = 20’ x 25’
Catchment Area = 1625 sq. ft.
No. of Family Members = 5

Run off Coefficients :-

Character of Surface High Low
Roof
Metal, Gravel, Ashfalt 0.95 0.75
Paving
Concrete, Ashfalt 0.95 0.70
Brick 0.85 0.70
 Example 1: Calculating Supply

Average Monthly Rainfall (inches)

Cities Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
P
2.21 2.02 2.36 2.63 5.12 3.42 2.03 2.51 2.88 3.99 3.02 2.53 34.72
Q
1.90 2.37 3.06 3.20 5.15 3.23 2.12 2.03 2.42 4.11 2.57 2.57 34.73
R 0.45 0.39 0.26 0.23 0.38 0.87 1.49 1.75 1.61 0.81 0.42 0.77 9.43
S 3.68 2.98 3.36 3.60 5.15 5.35 3.18 3.83 4.33 4.50 4.19 3.69 47.84
T 1.66 1.75 1.89 2.60 4.72 4.30 2.03 2.57 3.00 3.86 2.58 1.96 32.92
Example 1: Calculating Supply
 Example 1: Calculating Demand
Water requirements and Usage by a family. (in India)
(According to I.S. - 1172)

Litres per day per person

Bathing 20
Flushing 40
Washing clothes 25
Washing utensils 20
Gardening 23
Total 128

Total Water required by complete family

Per Day = 5 x 128 = 640 Ltrs
Per Month = 30 x 640 = 1920 Ltrs
= 507.2 Gallon
 Designing and Building a Complex
Rainwater Harvesting System

 Calculations
 Calculate Maximum Storage/Supplemental Water
Requirements
 Use “checkbook” method to balance harvested supply
and demand per month.
 Determine cumulative storage by adding the previous
month’s cumulative storage to the current month’s
balance.
 Determine storage container requirements by noting
the highest cumulative storage value.
 When the cumulative storage goes to zero,
supplemental water will be needed.
LEGISTATION

• IN CHENNAI , RWH MADE COMPULSORY.

• IN DELHI BLDG. BYE LAWS MODIFIED MAKING RWH

MANDATORY FOR NEW BLDGS. ON PLOTS > 100 Sqm.

• DELHI GOVT. HAS COME WITH AN INCENTIVE TO

REIMBORSE 50% COST OF RWH STRUCT. (MAX 50000)
FOR CERTAIN COLONIES
CONCLUSION
OUR MISSION SHOULD BE :

CONSERVATION OF WATER
• SINCE WE CANNOT PRODUCE ENERGY
BUT WE CAN SAVE IT BY PREVENTING
WASTAGE.
• IN THE SAME WAY WE CANNOT
PRODUCE WATER BUT WE CAN PREVENT
IT FROM WASTAGE AND PROTECT OUR
FUTURE.
NOW BE READY FOR
A GAME