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Stop cribbing about water shortage

Who says Bangalore doesn't get enough rain? It does, and we're letting it all go waste. Act now and harvest its benefits, says MALA KUMAR.

ONE OF the most charming advertisements seen on television nowadays is about rainwater harvesting. Everything from a policeman's helmet to a chaiwallah's glass tumbler becomes a receptacle for rainwater in this telling black-and-white message. The writing is clear on the wall — save every drop now, because water shortage could lead to the next world war!The time has come for every citizen to give more importance to rainwater harvesting. The theme of the recently observed World Environment Day was Water — Two Billion People are Dying for It. Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights makes clean water a universal right, and yet our most precious resource is, literally, sent down the drain.

But there is hope. A group of people in Bangalore are trying to set things right. "A small Ashraya house with a roof area of 20 sq. m. receiving a yearly rainfall of just 500 mm can yield 8,000 litres of clean drinking water per family," says S. Vishwanath, who runs the Rainwater Harvesting Club. Started in 1995, the club's members are architects and engineers who focus on incorporating rainwater harvesting (RWH) techniques in buildings. They feel that although the concept is becoming popular, policy-makers, architects, engineers and the general public need to be made more aware of the method.

"If you keep a drum under the rainwater-drain that runs from your roof to the ground, and use the collected water for gardening, washing or cleaning, then you have harvested water. It is that simple," says Mr. Vishwanath, sitting in his ecofriendly house-cum-office. Designed by his architect-wife Chitra, the house is fitted with a system that allows them to make maximum use of Nature's bounty. A simple filter consisting of sand, charcoal, gravel, and sponge sheets in a thick plastic drum cleans the rainwater, and this is stored in the sump along with Corporation water. By keeping the stored water away from UV rays, and by introducing a few guppies in the drum, the water can even be made potable.

In spite of Bangaloreans cribbing about scanty rains, the City does get an average rainfall of 970 mm annually, in 57 full rainy days, enough to harvest 70,000 to 80,000 litres for a 100-sq.m. roof. The water so collected can be used immediately or stored in a sump or to recharge ground water in wells and borewells that have gone dry. This harvest is enough to completely take care of the water consumption for 173 to 192 days.

But why would a family want to invest in an RWH system, that can cost anything between Rs. 500 and Rs.10,000, when the monetary benefits are so small? "It takes the water supply board Rs. 18 to process one kilolitre of water, and we get it at Rs. 6. How can we expect efficient water and sewage systems when we grudge paying the price for it?" asks Mr. Vishwanath. "We have all been part of the water problem, we have to be part of the solution. Every household that takes up RWH contributes to make the problem smaller."

In the Vishwanath household, rainwater is used for all purposes. Even the soapy water from the washing machine is stored separately, cleaned, and used in toilets. Water from one full cycle-wash is enough to flush toilets used by at least 10 people over two days. The Vishwanaths were commissioned to design several houses in Vidyaranyapura, all of them with RWH facility. They have also installed RWH systems in several companies, factories and apartment blocks.

After a 15-year innings with Hudco as a civil engineer, Mr. Vishwanath decided to concentrate on popularising rainwater harvesting. Ms. Chitra studied architecture at the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad, while he did his masters in town planning there.

True to the spirit of CEPT, the couple is passionate about doing their bit for the environment in every way possible.

"In order to popularise the concept of rooftop rainwater harvesting, there are several areas that require attention. They are the need to develop a quick, low-cost and easy system of checking the quality of rainwater run-off, at selected laboratories; developing affordable filters to improve the quality of rooftop rainwater; a monthly rebate in water charges to rainwater harvesters; setting up professional information cells by water supply and sewerage boards to answer people's queries; creating a trained pool of plumbers and masons with rainwater harvesting know-how; and training borewell diggers in recharging techniques," says Mr. Vishwanath.

The best time to plan a RWH system is when you start building your house. But if you already have, the Rainwater Club can still tell you how to install one. Check out www.rainwaterclug.org, or go to 264, 6th Main, 6th Block, BEL Layout, Vidyaranyapura, or call 3641690, or e-mail chitravishwanath@vsnl.com.

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