Rainwater Harvesting and

Watershed Management

Pranay Krishnan
M.Sc EVS
SIES Nerul College of Arts, Science and Commerce.
Navi Mumbai,
Maharashtra,India.
 Some Facts about Water

• Only 2.5% of the world’s water is freshwater and most of this are in
the form of polar ice-caps.
• Water use has increased by 70% since 1970
• A recent report by Credit Suisse stated that by 2025 18 countries
will experience water demand beyond supply capabilities
• It takes up to 5000 lt of water to produce 1kg of rice.
• Every square mile of developed land causes 16 million gallons of
rain water to directly enter the rivers on a rainy day!
• Each person uses about 150 litres of water every day. About 60
litres of this is for toilet flushing
• Toilet flushing is the single largest user of household water, 30-40%,
up to 90% for offices.
 What is Water harvesting??

• Water harvesting is the capture, diversion,

and storage of water obtained from different
freshwater sources for plant irrigation,
domestic purposes, industrial purposes,
groundwater recharge and other uses.
 Rainwater harvesting [RWH]

• It is a type of water harvesting.

• It can be defined as the system of collection
and concentration of rain water and its run off
and its productive use for :-
a) Irrigation of annual crops pastures and trees.
b) Domestic and livestock consumption.
c) Groundwater recharge.
 Need For Rainwater Harvesting
• Major parts of our country have been facing continuous failure of
monsoon and consequent deficit of rainfall over the last few years.
• Also, due to ever increasing population of India, the use of ground
water has increased drastically leading to constant depletion of
ground water level causing the wells and tube wells to dry up.
• In some places, excessive heat waves during summer create a
situation similar to drought.
• It is imperative to take adequate measures to meet the drinking
water needs of the people in the country besides irrigation and
domestic needs.
• Out of 8760 hours in a year, most of the rain in India falls in just 100
hours.
 Rainwater can be harvested in a
variety of ways:
Rainwater can be harvested in a variety of ways:
• Directly from roof tops and stored in tanks.
• Monsoon run off and water in swollen streams
during the monsoon and storing it in
underground tanks.
• Water from flooded rivers can be stored in small
ponds.
• Collection and transfer of rainwater into
percolation tanks so as to facilitate discharge into
ground.
 Components of RWH

Catchment

Delivery

Storage
 Models of RWH
There are two main models of rainwater
harvesting done in India:-

• RURAL MODEL.
• URBAN MODEL.
 Rural model of RWH
• Rural areas generally use traditional methods of
rainwater harvesting.
• Main motive of rainwater harvesting in these
areas is to facilitate irrigation for agriculture and
use of water for domestic and drinking purposes.
• Nowadays practices are also been followed to as
to recharge groundwater levels.
• Many of the traditional structures include
Tankas, Nadis, Talabs, Bavdis, Rapats, Kuis, Virdas,
Kunds, Khadins, Johads etc.
 Bawodi Kunds
Traditional step wells Covered underground
are called vavadi in tank, developed
Gujarat, or baoris or primarily for tackling
bavadis in Rajasthan drinking water
and northern India. problems.
Khadin Bund
 Urban Model of RWH
• More modernized system of rainwater
harvesting.
• The main components of the urban model are:-
a) Roof catchment
b) Gutters
c) Down pipe
d) First flush pipe
e) Filter unit
f) Storage tank
g) Collection pit.
Components of Urban RWH models

Storage Tank Pipe System

 Advantages
• RWH provides a good supplement to other water sources thus relieving pressure on other
water sources.
• It can supply as a buffer and can be used in times of emergency or breakdown of public
water supply systems.
• Helps reduce the storm drainage load and flooding in the cities.
• It is a flexible technology and can be built to require meets of any range. Also the
construction, operation and maintenance is not very labour intensive in most systems.
• Prevents water wastage by arresting run off as well as prevents soil erosion and mitigates
flood.
• Sustains and safeguards existing water table through recharge.
• Arrests sea-water intrusion and prevents salination of ground water.
• Rainwater harvesting can reduce salt accumulation in the soil which can be harmful to root
growth. When rainwater percolates into the soil, it forces the salts down and away from the
root zone area. This allows for greater root growth and water uptake, which increases the
drought tolerance of plants.
• Rain-water is a clean and pure source of drinking water which requires minimal chemical
treatment as the amount of pollutants are not much.
 Disadvantages

• In terms of complex constructions, there is a requirement for high

costs, trained professionals.
• Maintenance costs may add to the monetary burden.
• If not maintained properly then it can cause various problems in
terms of algal or bacterial growth.
• Tanks if not constructed properly might result in leakages and metal
tanks may also lead to problems such as corrosion harming the
water quality.
• All these factors might prove harmful and result in various kinds of
health issues.
• The system is very much rainfall dependent and hence if there are
problems with the rainfall in the area, it may not be very effective.
 Future of Rainwater Harvesting
• Rainwater harvesting systems serve as an
alternative decentralized water source especially
in the age when groundwater supplies are
depleting and municipal water infrastructures are
facing high replacement costs.
• The use of decentralized rainwater harvesting
systems is growing nationally and internationally,
especially in industrial countries like Asia, Europe
and the US.
 Watershed Management
• What is a watershed??
• Watersheds can be defined as a geo-hydrological
unit draining to a common point by a system of
drains. All lands on earth are part of one
watershed or other. Watershed is thus the land
and water area, which contributes runoff to a
common point.
• For example, the watershed of a lake would
include not only the streams entering that lake
but also the land area that drains into those
streams and eventually the lake.
Classifications of Watersheds
Macro Watershed
(> 50,000 Hect)

Sub-Watershed
(10,000 to 50,000 Hect)

Milli-Watershed
(1000 to10000 Hect)

Micro-Watershed
(100 to 1000 Hect)

Mini-Watershed
(1-100 Hect)
 Watershed Mangement – Definition
• The process of creating and implementing plans,
programs, and projects to sustain and enhance
watershed functions that affect the plant, animal, and
human communities within a watershed boundary.
• Watershed management is the integrated use of land,
vegetation and water in a geographically discrete
drainage area for the benefit of its residents, with the
objective of protecting or conserving the hydrologic
services that the watershed provides and of reducing
or avoiding negative downstream or groundwater
impacts. Fresh water, and freshwater ecosystems, is
the most basic components of watershed
management.
Need for Watershed Management.
• In spite of sufficient rainfall, people have to
depend upon tankers for their domestic water
supply in summers in most of the areas. This is
mainly due to large runoff which is responsible
for water loss as well as soil loss of the land.
• A raindrop, when flows along the slope, carries
the loose soil along it. In this case the topmost
layer of soil is lost rapidly. Due to high intensity
rainfall, it is estimated that, more than 100 tons
of soil is lost .
Objectives of Watershed management
• To control damaging runoff and degradation and thereby conservation of
soil and water.
• To manage and utilize the runoff water for useful purpose.
• To protect, conserve and improve the land of watershed for more
efficient and sustained production.
• To protect and enhance the water resource originating in the watershed.
• To check soil erosion and to reduce the effect of sediment yield on the
watershed.
• To rehabilitate the deteriorating lands.
• To moderate the floods peaks at downstream areas.
• To increase infiltration of rainwater.
• To improve and increase the production of timbers, fodder and wild life
resource.
• To enhance the ground water recharge, wherever applicable.
 Parameters of Watershed
Management
• SIZE: It helps in computing parameters like precipitation received, retained, drained off.
• SHAPE: Different shapes based on morphological parameters like geology and structure.
• PHISIOGRAPHY: Lands altitude and physical disposition. SLOPE: It controls the rainfall
distribution and movement:
• CLIMATE: It decides the quantitative approach.
• DRAINAGE: It determines the flow characteristics and so the erosion behavior.
• VEGETATION: Information of species gives a sure ground for selection plants and crops.
• GEOLOGY AND SOILS: Their nature determines size, shape, physiographic, drainage and
groundwater conditions. Soils, derivative of rocks are the basic to greenery
• HYDROLOGY: Basic to final goal of growing greenery in a watershed. It helps in quantification
of water available.
• HYDROGEOLOGY: Availability of groundwater.
• SOCIOECONOMICS: Statistics on people and their health, hygiene, wants and wishes are
important in managing water.
 Watershed Mangement Practises

• Conserving soil and water.

• Improving the ability of land to hold water.
• Rainwater harvesting and recharging.
• Growing greenery – trees, crops and grasses.
 Conserving Soil and Water
• Contour - Contour trenches trap rain water,
enable it to percolate to underground aquifers
and break the speed of fast moving water
• Gully control - Gully plugs help to control the flow
of water, sedimentation and recharge ground
water aquifers.
• Stone bunds - Building stone and nala bunds
across the slope arrest the flow of water and
control erosion in areas where soil work is not
possible.
Contour Bunds Stone Bunds
Check Dams Gully Control
 Growing Greenary
• Dry land agriculture.
• Irrigation.
• Forestry.
• Horticulture.
• Pastures.
Integrated Watershed Approach
•IWM is the process of planning and implementing water and natural
resources.
•Emphasis is on integrating the bio-physical, socio-economic and institutional
aspects.
High

water conservation,
Project success

Socio-economic with
water conservation

Socio-economic,
Public Participation

Public participation
participation

planning, design,
implementation
Mainly water
conservation

Low

1970 1980 1990 2000

Watershed development program

Social issues are addressed through involvement of women and minority.

Community led water users groups have led the implementation efforts.
 Advantages/Future Of WSM
• Watershed Development program is a revolutionary
program aimed at fulfilling the water needs in the water
scarce areas.
• In areas where there is inadequate water supply watershed
management offers an ideal solution.
• It helps in utilizing the primary source of water and
prevents the runoff from going into sewer or storm drains,
thereby reducing the load on treatment plants.
• If we take steps to encourage each drop of rainfall to
penetrate in the ground at the point where it strikes earth,
it will result in addition of one drop to our useful water
supply and subtraction of one drop from a potential flood.
 References

• Water harvesting – ecological and economic appraisal

by Archana Mishra.
• Rainwater harvesting for domestic use by Janette
Worm.
• Rainwater harvesting by Martin Wafler.
• Rainwater harvesting – Wikipedia.
• Evaluating watershed management procedures by John
Kerr and Kimberly Chung.
• Watershed management – An Introduction by Gerd
Forch and Brigitta Schutt.
Thank You