Benefits of Rainwater Harvesting

By now it is very clear that Rainwater Harvesting has a significant role not just in conserving water but also in maintaining ecological balance in the affected areas. The benefits of Rainwater Harvesting are massive.

The following are the benefits of Rainwater Harvesting.

Simple to Maintain

Rainwater is an energy resource which can solve most of the drinking water problems faced by mankind. RWH systems carry quite a significance due to its advantages to the society at large. As drinking water resources are heading towards depletion and cannot be renewed, RWH is the only viable option which will help in reducing wastage.

The entire system which is based on a simple technology is cheaper in its installations and operation than that of water purifying and pumping sets. It requires very little maintenance in terms of time and energy, the results being a cumulation of water that can be used in many ways even without purification.

Reduction in Water Bills

Every year we pay lakhs of rupees just on our water bills. As the water scarcity keeps increasing across the world resulting in soaring water prices, RWH becomes the most sensible alternative that could salvage the water crisis for the country. RWH not only helps in reduction of water bills, it also helps in increasing the groundwater levels.

Setting up a Rainwater Harvesting system is not very complicated. It can cost between Rs. 2-3 Lakhs for setting up an RWH system for a society with 100 apartments. The initial investment cost may seem higher but the money saved on water for rest of the life is undeniable. The state of Karnataka led with a staggering result of 100,000 homes with RWH connectivity and also, 22,680 rural government schools of Karnataka provided rainwater for drinking to their children that were harvested from their school roof.

Convenient for Irrigation

As per the reports of 2013, 36.79% of India’s land is Agricultural Irrigated Land. Most of the irrigation techniques require a lot of water to irrigate multiple crops. In most of the cases, water comes to these irrigation lands through the underground water reserves with the usage of pumps to extract them. Although the water may seem sufficient, due to growing deforestation and rampant use of water reserves most of the groundwater reserves around the country are moving towards depletion.

With the recent history of draughts around the world, harvesting rainwater is the only viable option that could prove helpful for irrigation. Rainwater saved today can provide enough water to the farmers throughout the dry season. Encouraging farmers to make percolation pits, ponds, reservoirs depending on their land size and amount of rainfall can help them in saving much-needed rainwater for their farms and families during dry seasons. Technical and financial support has to be provided to the farmers to overcome the hurdles of implementing the RWH systems. West Bengal has adopted Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to build Hapas - Small reservoirs to store rainwater. This has contributed to increased livelihoods of the farmers.

Controlling groundwater reserves

Due to rising population, there has been a rise in growth in demand for potable water. Residential colonies and industries are extracting groundwater to meet their demands. This has led to depletion of groundwater in areas with water scarcity.

Harvesting of rainwater will not only increase the groundwater reserve but it will also lead to steady growth in creating awareness in the areas with a severe water crisis.

Curtailing floods and soil erosion

Harvesting of rainwater during the rainy season greatly benefits the environment at large. It helps in reduction of floods in low lying areas if the rainwater is collected in large storage tanks. Rainwater harvesting helps in reducing soil erosion and also surface water contamination due to pesticides and other fertilizers. This had led to cleaner lakes and ponds around the country.

Used for Non-drinking purposes

Harvesting of rainwater can fulfil various unconventional purposes of water usage. A proper rainwater harvesting system can store enough water that can be consumed by a family for their daily purposes. It can help in conserving pure drinking water. The harvested rainwater can be used for flushing toilets, washing clothes, watering gardens, washing cars etc. instead of using drinking water.