Water, the Hub of Life.
Water is its mater and matrix, mother and medium.
Water is the most extraordinary substance!
Practically all its properties are anomalous, which enabled life to use it as building material for its machinery.
Life is water dancing to the tune of solids.
       -  Albert Szent-Gyorgyi (1972)

Water is very precious and it is time we stopped taking its supply for granted. The burgeoning population and indiscriminate exploitation of this natural resource in the last two centuries have resulted in a serious water crisis across the world.

It is said that the future wars of this world will be fought not for land but for fresh drinking water. This looming crisis can endanger our habitat and our very existence. 

Global warming also means rapid melting of water resources such as the glaciers in Himalaya’s and Antartica reserves. This is diminishing the fresh water reserves and increasing the waters of the oceans.

Without immediate action it is estimated that by 2025 two thirds of ours world’s population will have difficulty surviving in water stressed areas.

“Water water everywhere – not a drop to drink” is likely to become a reality if we continue to waste this precious resource.

To preserve life on the land - conserving and recycling water has to be urgently initiated by world bodies like WHO. Currently only cosmetic measures are being taken from time to time without there being any signs of serious intent in the near foreseeable future. 

Solution par Excellence

In order to conserve the remaining water sources, and to improve the availability of water, many solutions have been put forth. It is over such a backdrop that Rain Water Harvesting (RWH), as a method of conserving and improving water supply, has been attracting the attention of planners everywhere.

Indeed the technique has been in vogue from historical times. Humans have traditionally depended on rains to recharge their ground water as well as ponds and lakes. Various civilizations have innovated and perfected different methods of harvesting rain water.

India, being in the tropics and receiving good spells of rain, had been a pioneer in RWH methods. Rajasthan, a rain- deficient region in the northwest, is known for its innovative tanks and ponds which are designed to conserve rain water. These include both public and private rain water harvesting systems.

But with urbanization and modernization, this tradition changed, at least in the cities, and civic authorities shifted towards engineering methods that resulted only in overexploitation.

Take the case of Chennai, capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is gifted with an annual rainfall (120 cm) which is above the average rainfall in the country (80 cms). It was also a city of lakes and aquifers that recharges the ground water through the year.

But with growth, development and relentless inflow of people from the districts, vast swathes of land that could store and recharge the ground water sources have been taken over for human habitation.

And when capital intensive projects like desalination plants do not seem to offer much of a relief, inevitably the attention of the authorities turns to local, cost effective and simple solutions, like the RWH.