Rainwater Harvesting

Water is a precious resource that needs to be conserved at all costs. Rainwater harvesting is one such system that involves collection of water that would otherwise have gone wasted down the drains. This system of water aids in collection of water that would have gone into the ground or lost due to evaporation.

With increasing instances of water shortage, it has become imperative for most houses in Chennai to adopt rainwater harvesting systems so as to harness water for use in bathrooms and other purposes such as watering plants except drinking and cooking. Roofs and driveways are ideal locations to capture rainwater that would otherwise have gone wasted.

Rainwater harvesting system

It is essential to evaluate the volume of rainfall that can be collected so as to estimate the kind of rainwater harvesting system to adopt. The size of the storage tank size is also vital to designing and installing an efficient rainwater harvesting system.

A good rainwater harvesting system must take care of rainwater collection and filtering, pump and tank connections and isolation of regular main water store from the rainwater system. Typically the existing plumbing design has to be reoriented for incorporating the rainwater harvesting system.

The rainwater from the roof and ground level areas around the house are directed through pipes into a sump. Here, a filtration process is installed with sand, brick jelly and pieces of mud bricks.

• Control of erosion in catchment areas
  
  
• Recharging of well
  
  
• Dilutes salt content in well water
  
  
• Contains surface run off during monsoons
  
  
• Reduces chances of flooding and stagnation during rains
  

Rainwater harvesting in Chennai

Rainwater harvesting is compulsory in all residential and residential buildings in Chennai. The city receives rainfall of about 120 cm and a lot of this is lost. Unprecedented construction activity and clogging of storm water drains has led to inefficient drainage of water leading to water logging in many places. Tanks and ponds have been filled. With efficient rainwater harvesting, Chennai’s perennial water scarcity can be addressed. This system is cost efficient and maintenance free.

The topography of the city makes it necessary to opt for different systems of rainwater harvesting systems at different locations, be it the sandy stretches of Besant Nagar, Thiruvalluvar Nagar and Valmiki Nagar or rocky areas of Guindy, Velachery and Adambakkam.