The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : The time is right for rainwater harvesting

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 05, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

The time is right for rainwater harvesting

Staff Reporter

JUST COMMON SENSE: Rainwater harvesting requires the simplest of technologies. — Photo: K. BHAGYA PRAKASH

BANGALORE: Imagine getting at least 90,000 litres of water free every year for the rest of your life. While this is if you have a house built on dimensions of 30 by 40, it could go up if you have houses built on larger plots.

All you need to do is spend one day on installing the rainwater system. And now is just the right time to do it as rainfall is expected in considerable quantity.

Here's how you do it. Just get a few metres of pipes, a local plumber who will help you connect water outlets from your terrace through pipes to a large filter. The filter can then be connected to your sump or well, wherever you would prefer the water to be stored.

The filter is simply a large storage vessel, which has layers of sand and jelly. You could add two or three layers of mosquito net if you want.

And you are all set to harvest rainwater, which is said to be the purest source of water. Water stored in such a manner can be used for potable purposes. Just keep your terrace relatively clean.

Yes, it is as simple as that. "It just requires common sense," says rainwater-harvesting expert S. Vishwanath.

According to him, installing a rainwater harvesting system in an ongoing construction could cost between Rs. 3,000 and Rs. 4,000. In an existing house, it could range between Rs. 4,000 and Rs. 15,000.

With water crisis plaguing the city and the demand only increasing, it seems like it is in personal interest to harvest all the rainwater we get.

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