Domestic Rainwater Harvesting System: Udaipur, Rajasthan
Submitted by vikas on September 21, 2009 - 16:24
I am from Udaipur Rajasthan, I want to install a rain water harvesting system for my house, construction of which is currently on. Can I pour rain water directly to my tubewell through a rainwater collection pipe? Water level is about 90 ft. currently.
Is there any system avaliable in the market. It would be helpful to receive guidance regarding the purchase & installation of this system. Contact information of consultants or vendors may please be provided.
- Vikas Khandelwal
- khandelwalvikas01@gmail.com
Comments
1. SAND Filter
Dear Khandelwal,
Since you are already constructing, you will know all the aspects of RWH. However, you can pour rain water to you are tube well for recharging it but please put a Filter (mesh with Sand Filter) and pass water through it and then divert it to the Tube well inorder to prevent any contamination as RWH would have some materials/dirt etc. Therefore, you need to install one Filter-SAND Filter.
I am not clear about which system you are referring here. If it is filter, no need to purchase from the market. You can put yourself. Take the specs of Bio-sand Filter or any sand filter and just construct.
Regards,
M. Manoj Kumar
Programme Manager
Water Programme
Development Alternatives
New Delh
2. Domestic Rain Water Harvesting in Udaipur
You can recharge a bore well or open well using the water harvested by a system installed for this purpose.However, you need to ensure that the harvested rain water is free from silt and other suspended impurities.
Companies that do rainwater harvesting abound in South India and I have the contact addresses of several of them.However, it would be better for you to find one from North India.I would suggest you contact the Centre for Science & Environment,New Delhi who should be able to help you ( www.cse.org)
S.S.Ranganathan
3. Dear Vikas Khandelwal, Since
Dear Vikas Khandelwal,
Since you are doing a roof water harvesting at your house, please do not divert the harvested water in a bore well. Rather you save this harvested water in a tank (over-ground or under ground) and use the water directly as per the need. These storage tanks should have a provision of filtering the entry water and occasional cleaning.
Harvested water is used for recharging groundwater either through abandoned well or a new structure constructed for this purpose only when you have excess water. Although the recharged groundwater forms a temporary mound around the recharging well providing additional water to the recharger but the water table tend to disperses with time as per the geology of the formation and can therefore be extracted by any body in the neighbourhood. Artificial recharge should therefore be done in cluster to benefit every body within its effective area.
The existing working tube well should not be used for artificial recharge as this will eventually lead to the blockage the existing bore well. A new structure may be constructed in its vicinity provided you have excess water in certain seasons. Else simply use the harvested water directly through proper sorage.
Best wishes.
Dr. Mihir Maitra
Individual Consultant
Water Resource
New Delhi
4. Dear Vikas Khandelwal, The
Dear Vikas Khandelwal,
The rain water should be made to pass through a filter of sand and gravel before entering the tubewell.
With regards,
Hemant Joshi
Executive Director
Communication and Capacity Development Unit (CCDU)
Rajasthan
Jaipur
5. Roof water harvesting
Dear Mr. Khandelwal,
Please do not pour roof rain water directly in the bore well. Please construct a pit, with a filter bed, near the bore well and bring the water to it. The size of the pit depends on your roof area and average annual rainfall at Udaipur. You can contact me for more details.
With best wishes,
Ramesh Athavale.
6. Water Harvesting - for your use or as social help?
Dear Khandelwal ji,
Water Harvesting is a very broad term. In residential houses, you can collect the rain water from roof top and divert it to a storage tank of appropriate size for your personal use or you can allow it to seep through your bore well/soak pit to join the general ground water reserve. If you have open space around the house, it can also be used for rain water collection as well as for it's infiltration in the ground.
Considering the geology of Udaipur, direct diversion of rain water in the tube well, which is used for pumping the daily needs, is not advisable because -
(1) In the long run, the tube well may get silted up due to - (a) minute silt particles in collected water, (b) free flow of rain water in the tube well may lead to removal of thin stone chips from the sides of bore below casing pipe which will also get deposited in the well.
(2) the infiltration capacity of underground rocks is poor in Udaipur area and they can not absorb much water instantly so when there is rainfall with good intensity the tube well will overflow.
(3) the thin veins in rocks which bring water to the tube well may get chocked by fine silt in the rain water left even after filtering it through the sand filter during back flow in these veins.
(4) in spite of keeping watch, diversion of the water of first rains or rains after a long dry spell to surface water drain is not practicable and knowingly or unknowingly it goes to your tube well. Such water will be directly used by pumping for regular domestic needs. This first rain water is always contaminated due to roof top surface residues and is not suitable for consumption.
You should therefore first decide about the alternatives and in case you decide to recharge ground water as a social cause, then you should avoid it's diversion through your tube well which is used for domestic needs. For this , it is better to construct a covered soak pit of appropriate size.
I am a post graduate in engineering with specialization in 'Water Use Management' and I am located at Udaipur. In case you need technical assistance in this regard, you can contact me through E-mail.
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