Harvesting rainwater for a better landscape
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Where natural options are not present, creation of an artificial lake will be a better option When designing the buildings and the drains and gradients around it, care must be taken to make certain that all rainwater is channelled into drains leading to the pond area either directly or through a network of streams which can again form part of the landscape design.
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- Photo: T. Singaravelou
INNOVATIVE: Rainwater harvesting can be made an element of design too.
In larger properties, of about ten acres or more, rainwater harvesting can be done innovatively. Many expansive sites come with a natural lake or a stream that fills up with water during rain.
In the presence of such topography, these available natural elements can be left undisturbed and the entire site design may be worked around it. In sites where such natural options are not present it would be a good idea to consider forming an artificial lake.
When designing the buildings and the drains and gradients around it, care must be taken to make certain that all rainwater is channelled into drains leading to the pond area either directly or through a network of streams which can again form part of the landscape design.
Filling up the base of such drains/streams with pebbles will make it a water body during monsoon.
In the other months it will be a hard landscaping element and can even be used as pebble beds for therapeutic walking. Gardens can be created around the lake to encourage employees to turn it into a recreation zone. It can be made more attractive by designing a few gazibos with seating options and planting a plethora of flowering plants.
Gradients
If the site does not offer a natural depression that can be turned into a lake it would be advisable to create one by digging to a depth of about two to three metres. The vastness of the water body will directly depend on site conditions.
The earth removed from the site can be used to create gradients that will slope gardens and lawns immediately adjoining the lake into it and also create some mounds that will add to the aesthetic appeal of the site.
The base of the lake thus created will not be concreted but could have a bed of packed clay and straw and topped with a layer of sand. This will prevent heavy loss of water into the earth.
The sides can be bounded with loose rubble stone so that it offers percolation too. Sinking of bore wells around the pond could be considered to recharge groundwater.
As mentioned in the earlier columns these bore wells will recharge groundwater in the site before channelling excess water into the lake. This means that RWH is being done at two levels and the need to let off excess water during the monsoon is very remote.
However, in the event of heavy rainfall in a short span the water draining into the pond may be very heavy. To prevent any flooding of the property, open drain channels can be created with sluice gates to let off excess water out of the property into surrounding areas.
Invariably large acreage properties are situated in zones that will naturally drain water into the nearby lake or into channels that connect to the sea.
Also these water bodies can also be turned into a reservoir for treated water. Most large factories are now conforming to global standards and introduce recycling plants.
The water thus generated is generally used for the garden and/or toilet consumption. That percentage of treated water, earmarked for garden purposes,(this again being calculated in terms of water needs and evaporation loss) will be let into the pond daily.
While this ensures that the daily requirement of water is moved out of the treatment plant and is consumed by the garden, any excess production of treated water can be stored in the pond.
The one reason why natural lakes need to be preserved and artificial lakes created is that the microclimate of the surrounding areas automatically improves. The presence of a large sheet of water helps reduce the heat generated by concrete structures and roads.
Also the planting of foliage and canopied trees, some of which are excellent detoxifiers, such as the neem, will help counter pollutants that may enter the atmosphere even from areas immediately adjoining the site.
Though these trees could take some time to grow, may be up to ten years, they will one day host a variety of winged visitors to make the environs of the lake their home. Migratory birds may also be attracted to visit the site annually.
In other words we are giving back to nature at least a part of what we have appropriated for developmental activity by creating a grove out of the water body and the areas immediately surrounding it.
K. RAGHURAMAN
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