A precious saving

THE RESIDENTS of Temple View apartments, Tiruvanmiyur have every reason to bask in the glory of their success. Located in a blind alley, the complex of 25 apartments escapes the public eye. What then have the residents achieved to make them steal the limelight? At a time when the city is reeling under the grip of acute water scarcity Temple View has found a way to tide over the prolonged drought. Not through fancy, hi-tech solutions such as desalination or reverse osmosis but through a time-tested tradition method - rainwater harvesting.

Four years ago, when the concept was just being resurrected, the middle class residents of Temple View, despite financial constraints, decided to implement a simple water harvesting measure in the faith that it would yield positive results.

The storm water conduits from the roof were channelled to the garage in the basement of the complex and connected to two percolation pits there. The pits were dug close to the two bore wells on which the residents depended for their daily water supply. Each pit was nine feet deep and cement rings placed inside to provide adequate support. A few pieces of broken bricks were thrown in for good measure. The pits were covered with cement slabs to prevent people, especially children from falling in. Having covered them, the residents forgot about the pits. Well, they almost did.

At that time, though the water table was around 15-20 feet, the water was hard and a white sediment of salt settled if it was stored for a while. The water was also slightly discoloured.

Today, four years later, the doubts that the residents entertained about rainwater harvesting have been dispelled. The water table continues to be at a depth of 15 feet. But, the white sediment is no longer formed, the hardness has got reduced by as much as 85 per cent and the water is no longer discoloured.

Samples tested at the King Institute, Guindy were found to be potable, with the PH factor being reduced to an acceptable level. In fact, the ground water quality was found to be almost as good as mineral water. The success story led to some of the residents forming `Trees, Rain and You' (TRY), a charitable trust, which advocates tree planting and rainwater harvesting.

TRY is a non-profit organisation functioning from Flat No.22, Temple View Apartments, Dr. Vasudev Nagar Extension, Tiruvanmiyur (phone- 4925701). It offers free counselling and guidance to people wanting to adopt rainwater-harvesting methods. One of the Temple View residents, M. N. Mitra, an employee of the State Bank of India, Hyderabad, got the assistance of the bank in printing 10,000 brochures on rainwater harvesting for public distribution. The bank under its community services programme is considering a reprint. The residents did not stop with the experiment within their complex. Temple View is located at a dead end and a small shower causes water logging in the approach lane, forcing the residents to wade through the slush. Mr. Mitra, who is also an office- bearer of the Temple View Apartments Owners' Association, suggested the implementation of rainwater harvesting to a well- known builder who implemented it in all the buildings constructed by his firm.

Mitra now thought of digging percolation pits in the approach lane to Temple View in lieu of storm water drainage. Once again, with the cooperation of the residents, a 10-foot deep pit with a diameter of four-foot diameter was dug. Cement rings were placed inside and a cement slab with holes in it was used as a cover.

The result - water no longer stagnates in the lane even after a heavy downpour. The economics - While it cost Rs. 48 lakhs to lay a storm water drain in Besant Nagar, the percolation pit cost only Rs. 8,000. Even if 100 pits were prepared in Besant Nagar the total cost would only be around Rs. 8 lakhs.

The Temple View residents now plan to start harvesting `grey water ( sullage from bathrooms) in their complex. Meanwhile, the campaign for rainwater harvesting continues. The message is simple - To succeed all that one has to do is TRY.

M. N. MITRA

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