Rainwater Harvesting in India: Exploring Diverse Methods & Techniques

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PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTION PAPERS

Discuss about different methods of rainwater harvesting in India. (HPAS Mains Question Paper 2022 – GS 3, Q.19)

India is hugely reliant on monsoon rainfall for agricultural production and water supply. Rainwater harvesting is an essential method of capturing and storing rainwater for future use, and different ways of rainwater harvesting are used in India.

Here are some of the various rainwater harvesting methods used in India:

  • Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting: The most common and straightforward method of rainwater harvesting in India. It entails collecting rainwater from building rooftops and storing it in underground tanks or recharge structures. This method is appropriate for both urban and rural settings.
  • Surface Runoff Harvesting: Surface runoff harvesting is an appropriate method in areas with high rainfall and steep slopes. Small check dams, contour bunds, or swales are built to capture rainwater runoff and store it in underground tanks or recharge structures. In hilly areas, this method is commonly used.
  • Recharge Pits: Recharge pits are small excavations in the ground that are designed to capture rainwater and allow it to percolate into the ground. This method is helpful in areas where the water table is high, but the soil permeability is low.
  • Check dams are small structures built across streams or rivers to slow the flow of water and allow it to percolate into the ground. This method is helpful in areas where the water table is high, but the soil permeability is low.
  • Percolation tanks are large structures that capture rainwater and allow it to percolate into the ground. This method is helpful in areas where the water table is low, but the soil permeability is high.
  • Injection Wells: Injection wells are deep boreholes that are drilled into the ground to inject rainwater directly into the groundwater aquifer. This method is helpful in areas with high water demand but low rainfall.

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