Tired of not having enough water in summer? How about harvesting rain water this monsoon, in the comfort of your own home?
While the sun is scorching hot, and the heat becomes unbearable, research states that on an average a family of four consumes at least 800 gallons of water per month. But the lack of water supply in Goa has caused you to spend valuable time and money on calling water tankers and complaining to the village panchayat.
No doubt, the Goa government is doing a good job by constructing water plants in Tuem, but it will take a while before they are fully functional. Arguably, rain is the cleanest form of water and harvesting rain water at home is easy! All you need are a few items you can find at home.
Rain water harvesting systems (both simple and complex) have the same basic components and you can create your own in 4 simple steps:
- Create a catchment area to capture the rainfall — In the case of your roof, the tin pipes of your house may already serve to collect the water. They catch the water as it runs off and thus allow you to capture it for your own use.
- A conveyance system to move the water from the roof to a storage area —usually through downspouts and maybe piping.
- A storage system to hold the rainwater for future use — a water tank, a barrel or a well. The water moves from the piping into a storage facility.
- A distribution system to get the water from storage to where it is being used — this can range from a watering can to a water hose, etc.
This water can be used for all purposes; additionally you can add a filter (optional) to ensure that the water is pure and consumable. Rain water harvesting has several advantages including the drop in your water bills and reduce surface run off. On a larger scale, Goa University has also taken the initiative to harvest rain water.
“What started as an effort to showcase rainwater harvesting methods and their benefits at Goa University, has now become an effort worth emulating by the entire state”, said India Water Portal.
The initiative of the Earth Sciences Department at Goa University, Dr. A.G Chachadi developed a facility to harvest rainwater and recharge groundwater at the campus at Taleigao Plateau. His main aim was to showcase rainwater harvesting within the campus and also spread awareness on the benefits of doing it. He did a simple calculation to understand how much rainwater could be harvested before implementing the system. Now it is fully functional and surprisingly has minimum maintenance activities and recurring costs.
C’mon, contribute to the environment, while your pockets fill with cash, by harvesting rain water this monsoon!
