BCV654A

Water Conservation

and
Rainwater
Harvesting

Dr. Vinay S
Associate Professor
Civil Engineering, AIET
Unit 3
Factors Affecting Ground Water Recharge

Revival of Traditional Techniques for Water Harvesting

Calculation of Available Water for Harvesting

Preparation of Suitable Technical Drawing and Designing of

Rainwater Harvesting Structures
Groundwater recharge Natural
• Climate and Climate change
Factors affecting

• Soil Characteristics
• Geology
• Topography
• Vegetation
• Depth of Ground Water Table

Human
• Land use
• Water Extraction
• Artificial Recharge
• Pollution
Groundwater recharge
Climate
Factors affecting

• Precipitation:
• The amount, intensity, and distribution of rainfall and snowfall
are primary drivers of recharge. Higher precipitation generally
leads to greater recharge. Higher Intensity leads to lower
recharge.
• Evapotranspiration:
• This is the combined process of evaporation from the soil and
transpiration from plants. High evapotranspiration rates reduce
the amount of water available for recharge.
• Temperature:
• Temperature influences both evaporation and
Climate Change
evapotranspiration rates.
• Changes in precipitation patterns, increased temperatures, and more
frequent extreme weather events can significantly impact groundwater
recharge
Groundwater recharge
Soil Characteristics:
Factors affecting

• Soil Texture: Sandy soils with large pore spaces allow

water to infiltrate more readily than clay soils.
• Soil Structure: The arrangement of soil particles
affects permeability and infiltration rates.
• Soil Moisture: The initial moisture content of the soil
influences how much additional water can infiltrate.

Geology:
• Rock Type: The permeability and porosity of underlying
rocks determine how easily water can percolate into
aquifers. Fractured rocks can provide pathways for rapid
recharge.
• Topography: Steep slopes promote runoff, reducing
infiltration, while flatter areas allow more water to soak into
the ground
Groundwater recharge
Vegetation:
Factors affecting

• Plant cover influences infiltration and

evapotranspiration.
• Dense vegetation can increase evapotranspiration but
also improve soil structure, enhancing infiltration.
Topography:
• Areas of low slope, allow water to remain and soak into
the ground.
• Areas of high slope, cause water to rapidly run off.

Depth to Groundwater:
• If the water table is deep, water must travel farther, and
has a higher chance to be lost through
evapotranspiration.
Groundwater recharge
Land Use:
Factors affecting

• Urbanization: Impervious surfaces (roads, buildings) reduce infiltration

and increase runoff.
• Agriculture: Irrigation practices can increase recharge, but also lead to
contamination.
• Forests: Deforestation reduces infiltration

Water Extraction:
• Excessive groundwater pumping can deplete aquifers, reducing the
potential for future recharge

Artificial Recharge:
• Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) techniques, such as infiltration basins
and injection wells, can enhance groundwater replenishment.

Pollution:
• Pollutants can contaminate recharge water, affecting groundwater quality
Climate change affecting Changes in
Precipitation
Climate change is leading to increased variability in precipitation, with some regions experiencing more intense
rainfall events and others facing prolonged droughts.

Patterns: Increased intensity of rainfall can lead to higher runoff, reducing the amount of water that infiltrates the ground
and recharges aquifers.

Conversely, prolonged droughts significantly decrease recharge rates, depleting groundwater reserves.

Increased Rising temperatures accelerate evapotranspiration, the process by which water evaporates from the soil and
transpires from plants.
Groundwater
Evapotranspiratio
n:
This reduces the amount of water available for infiltration, further diminishing groundwater recharge.

Sea-Level Rise: In coastal areas, rising sea levels can cause saltwater intrusion into freshwater aquifers, contaminating
groundwater resources.

This intrusion makes these aquifers unusable for drinking water and irrigation, impacting coastal communities
and ecosystems.

Changes in In mountainous regions, changes in snowpack and snowmelt patterns can significantly affect groundwater
recharge.
Snowmelt:
Earlier snowmelt or reduced snowpack can alter the timing and amount of water available for infiltration.

Impacts on In artic regions, the melting of permafrost is changing how water moves through the ground. This can heavily
alter ground water recharge, and also contaminate ground water as previously frozen materials are released
Permafrost: into the water
Climate change affecting
Water
Scarcity: Climate change exacerbates water scarcity in many
Groundwater

regions, particularly those already facing water stress.

Groundwater Changes in precipitation and temperature can affect

Quality: groundwater quality, increasing the concentration of
pollutants and contaminants.

Ecosystem
Impacts: Groundwater depletion can harm ecosystems that rely on
groundwater discharge, such as wetlands and rivers.

Increased
As surface water resources become more variable, there's
Reliance on an increased reliance on groundwater, further stressing
Groundwater: aquifers.
ttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/
bs/pii/S0022169421001505
Revival of Traditional Techniques
https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/sadh/047/0258

• The water conservation science or the technique of

rainwater harvesting is a deep-rooted tradition from
for Water Harvesting

ancient India.
• Revival of traditional techniques (along with modern
methods) for water harvesting is a crucial step towards
sustainable water management, especially in regions
facing water scarcity.

• Case Study: Jakhni village

• Implementation of traditional water conservation
techniques, such as intensive tree plantation, farm ponds,
and rainwater harvesting, Jakhni village successfully
revived its water bodies, improved agricultural
productivity, and reduced migration, further increased
https://abp.championsofchange.gov.in/content/381traditional-water-conservation-techniques-lead-to-revival-of-water-bodies-in-jakhni-village

groundwater levels, year-round availability of water, fertile

Revival of Traditional Techniques
• Various Traditional Water Harvesting Methods
• Khattas (ಕಟ್ಟೆ): Temporary check dams built across small streams and
for Water Harvesting

rivulets. Constructed post monsoons using wood, stones, sandbag to retain

water for dry season
• Madaka & Nalabunds: Natural or modified depressions on undulating terrain
(laterite area). Earther wall constructed to impound overland flows.
• Kalyani/Pushkarani: stepped ponds or tanks (religious/social/cultural purposes)
for community use
• Ponds/Tanks: larger water storage bodies, often created by building bunds
across natural depressions or valleys. Crucial for irrigation, drinking water, and
recharging groundwater
• Stepwells: Open wells with steps leading to the water table
• Open Wells
• Suragams: Horizontal Tunnels dug into hills to tap ground water springs
• Anicut: Weirs across river to store & divert water for irrigation
• Dams: Earthen/Masonry works across river to store & divert water for irrigation
Revival of Traditional Techniques
Decentralized
Systems:
• Principles • These methods often focused
on local solutions, capturing
and storing water at the
for Water Harvesting

village or even household

level.

Community
Multiple Benefits:
Participation:
• Beyond water storage,
• Construction and
these systems often
provided other benefits like maintenance of these
flood control, groundwater systems often involved the
recharge, and support for local community, fostering
local ecosystems. a sense of ownership and
responsibility.

Use of Local
Integration with Materials:
Landscape: • Locally available materials
• Traditional methods often like earth, stone, and wood
worked with the natural were primarily used,
topography to maximize making the systems cost-
water capture and storage. effective and sustainable in
their context.
Revival of Traditional Techniques
Why Revive Traditional Techniques ?
• Work in harmony with the local ecology, promoting groundwater

Sustainability: recharge
• Reduce reliance on centralized and energy-intensive water supply
for Water Harvesting

systems.

Cost- • Utilize locally available materials and require less complex

infrastructure, making them more affordable to implement and
Effectiveness: maintain.

Resilience: • Enhances water security - climate change and erratic rainfall patterns.

Community • These systems were managed and maintained by local communities,

Participation: • Fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility for water resources.

Environmental • Reduce soil erosion, mitigate urban flooding, and improve

Benefits: groundwater quality.

Revival of Traditional
Techniques for Water
Revival Efforts

Desilting and restoring existing water bodies:

• Removing accumulated silt and repairing damaged structures like tanks
Harvesting and stepwells.

Promoting the construction of new traditional structures:

• Supporting the building of johads, check dams, and rooftop rainwater
harvesting systems.

Raising awareness:
• Educating communities about the benefits and techniques of traditional
water harvesting.

Integrating traditional knowledge with modern technology:

• Combining traditional methods with scientific understanding for better
efficiency and management.

Community participation:
• Ensuring local communities are involved in the planning,
implementation, and maintenance of these systems
Revival of Traditional Techniques

Benefit Increased water availability for irrigation,

domestic use, and livestock.
s
for Water Harvesting

Improved groundwater levels and quality.

Reduced dependence on external water

sources and energy-intensive pumping.
Greater resilience to droughts and climate
variability.
Enhanced food security and livelihoods for
local communities.
Restoration of ecological balance and
biodiversity.
 Develop a database of Ancient Revival Methods across India.
The following are a must in the database
• Type
• Locations of Use
Submission Date: 30 April 2025
Assignment

• Principle behind construction

• Reasons for the methods being adopted in the region
• Images of the structure
• Advantages of the method
• Revival Technique
• Government Initiatives
• Name of the Person who contributed to the work
• Any other details
• Create a Webpage (Entire class to create one working webpage) and
the data should be shown in the Map, Details to dropdown on clicking
taluk/district/location.
 Understand various losses from an instantaneous rainfall or annual rainfall
Calculation of Available Understand the topography, lithology, rainfall distribution patters, land use
Water for Harvesting patterns etc.

Understand Rainfall distribution (Space and time) mm/hour or

mm/year etc. convert to meters

Rainfall Calculate area (Catchment, Rooftop) based on various land use

types
Catchmen
t Area

Assign Catchment Coefficients

Catchmen
Depends on Land use, Slope, Losses, Infiltration, Evaporation
t
Coefficien
t

Calculate Harvesting Capacity s a function of Catchment Area,

coefficient and rainfall.

Harvesting
C- Coefficient of Runoff (unitless) based on various land use type
A – Area under land use/ catchment (Sq.m)
P – Actual Rainfall (m) /hour or day or month or year
Q – Runoff cum/hour or day or month or year
Calculation of Available
Water for Harvesting
Calculation of Available
Water for Harvesting • Consider your House in the Town you
reside, calculate the volume of water
that can be harvested

• Assume
i) Rainfall in your Taluk
ii) Area of your House
iii) Coefficient as per your house

• Calculate
i. Volume of Water that needs to be
harvested
ii. Consider your family size assume
10 ltr per person per day estimate
the volume of water that needs to
be stored atleast for consumption
for the post monsoon season
Designing of Rainwater
Harvesting Structures Design Considerations
• Cost of the Tank
• Tank Capacity
• Purpose – Domestic, Institutional or Production
• Location – Above or Below Ground
• Material, Technology and Skill Available Locally
• Catchment Area
• Soil Characteristics

• Structures – Rooftop Harvesting / Settling Tanks

Designing of Rainwater
Harvesting Structures • Roof Top Harvesting
Components
Designing of Rainwater
Harvesting Structures • Roof Top Harvesting – Components
1. Roof Area – Surface on which rain falls
2. Gutters and Down Spouts – Transportation channel from catchment
surface to storage
3. Leaf Screens and Roof Washers – System to remove contaminants and
Debris
4. Cistern/ Storage Tank – Rain water is stored
5. Conveying – Delivery system for treated rainwater (Gravity or
pumping)
6. Water Treatment – Filters/ Equipment's / Additives / Disinfectants
Designing of Rainwater
Harvesting Structures
Designing of Rainwater
Harvesting Structures • Storage Tanks – Designed based on water requirement, rainfall,
purpose in the catchment
• Purpose – infiltration, flood control, etc
• Consider Evaporation Losses
• Depth of tank: 4 to 6 m ( both to store and recharge – CGWB 2007)

• Data Required – Annual Rainfall, Catchment size, Water Requirements

• Settling Tanks – For removing silt, floating matter and other impurities
• Depends on – Catchment size, Rate of Rainfall, Infiltration Rate
Designing of Rainwater
Harvesting Structures
Designing of Rainwater
Harvesting Structures • Design a Rain Water Harvesting Structure for Storing Water for Domestic
Purposes and Recharging the Remaining Water though Pond Storage
• Given - Roof top area: 150 sq.m, Annual Rainfall – 1500 mm (1.5m),
Average rainfall intensity is 100mm/hour for 4 hours

• Rainwater Potential – C. A. P = 0.9*150*1.5 = 202.5 cum or 202500 liters/year

• Storage Tank – Assuming 20% of the Potential is stored = 40500 liters, remaining
towards recharge pit
Designing of Rainwater
Harvesting Structures • Conveyance System – Based on Intensity of rainfall of 100 mm/hour
and surface area of 150 sq.m, Pipe of 150 mm diameter (6 inches) to
be used and interconnected
• Flush: 90 Degree T Connector with valve to remove initial waters

• Filtration Unit: Mesh followed by Pebbles 20 cm, Coarse Sand 30 cm

and Gravel 25 cm i.,e 75 cm height and 60cm length & breadth
(2feet)
• Also 6 inches or 4 inches Filters available in Market can be used

• Storage Tank: for 20000 liters of Water

• Cosidering depth of 2.5 meters, Width of 4m and length of 2 m is
mandatory, additional dept of 0.5 m as buffer can be added
• Overflow from tank to Recharge pit
Designing of Rainwater
Harvesting Structures • Recharge Pit: 60 cm Gravel, 30
cm Charcoal, 30 cm Sand, 30 cm
pebble & Perforated PVC pipe in
centre
• With an intensity of 150 mm per
hour (Occurring in a span of
4hours) and infiltration rate of 10
mm per hour
• Size of the Structure – 1.5 X 1.5 X
2

• Maintenance: Clean filters,

Conveyance Systems regularly
before and during monsoons.
Designing of Rainwater
Harvesting Structures
• Storage Tanks
Thank You