This document discusses various traditional methods of rainwater harvesting practiced in different parts of India. It describes systems such as kuls in Himachal Pradesh, naula in Uttarakhand, khatris in Himachal, dongs in Assam, and virdas and the Apatani system in Arunachal Pradesh. These methods demonstrate traditional ways that communities have innovated to collect and store rainwater for irrigation, drinking, and other uses.

2. (1) Turn off the tap when not in use. Regularly check taps and
pipes for leaks and repair any leaks detected

3. (2) Never pour water away when there may be
another use for it.

4. (3) Washing machine rinse water, especially the last few
batches of rinse water can be used for toilet flushing, and
floor cleaning.
(4) Reuse water from washing of fruits and vegetables, and
dish/cup washing final rinse water to water plants.

5. (5) Install water-efficient taps and showerheads to cut water
usage.

6. (6) Take shorter showers
and turn off the shower
while lathering and
washing your hair.
(7) Use a pail of water to
wash your car rather than
a hose.

8. RWH refers to collection and storage of
rainwater and also other activity such as
harvesting surface water extracting ground
water , prevention of loss through
evaporation and seepage.
Uses include water for garden, water
for livestock, water for irrigation, etc. In many
places the water collected is just redirected
to a deep pit with percolation. The harvested
water can be used as drinking water as well
as for storage and other purpose like
irrigation.

10. (1) Rainwater harvesting provides an independent water
supply during regional water restrictions and in developed
countries is often used to supplement the main supply.
(2) It provides water when there is a drought, prevents
flooding of low-lying areas, replenishes the ground water
table, and enables dug wells and bore wells to yield in a
sustained manner.
(3) It also helps in the availability of clean water by reducing
the salinity and the presence of iron salts.

11. (4) Makes use of a natural resource and reduces flooding,
storm water runoff, erosion, and contamination of surface
water with pesticides, sediment, metals, and fertilizers.
(5) Excellent source of water for landscape irrigation, with no
chemicals such as fluoride and chlorine, and no dissolved
salts and minerals from the soil.
(6) Home systems can be relatively simple to install and
operate and it may reduce your water bill.
(7) Promotes both water and energy conservation.
(8) No filtration system required for landscape irrigation.

13. (1) Take considerable amount of time to pay for it.
(2) Leakage from cisterns can cause the deterioration of
load bearing slopes.
(3) The success of rainfall harvesting depends upon the
frequency and amount of rainfall therefore it is not a
dependable water resources in times of dry weather or
pronged draught.

14. (1) To conserve & augment the storage of ground water.
(2) To reduce water table depletion.
(3) To improve the quality of ground water.
(4) To arrest sea water intrusion in coastal areas.
(5) To avoid flood & water stagnation in urban areas.

15. (1) Population increase
(2) Industrialization
(3) Urbanization
(a) Increase in per capita utilization
(b) Less peculation area
(4) In places where rain fed/irrigation based crops are cultivated through
ground water
(5) Decrease in surface area of Lakes, talab, tanks etc.
(6) Deforestation
(a) Less precipitation
(b) Absence of Barriers

17.  In the state of Tamil Nadu, rainwater harvesting
was made compulsory for every building to avoid
ground water depletion. It proved excellent results
within five years, and every other state took it as role
model. Since its implementation, Chennai saw a 50
percent rise in water level in five years and the
water quality significantly improved.

18.  In Rajasthan, rainwater harvesting has traditionally
been practiced by the people of the Thar Desert.
There are many ancient water harvesting systems in
Rajasthan, which have now been revived.
At present, in Pune (in Maharashtra), rainwater
harvesting is compulsory for any new society to be
registered.
 An attempt has been made at Dept. of Chemical
Engineering, IISc, Bangalore to harvest rainwater
using upper surface of a solar still, which was used for
water distillation.

19.  In Meghalaya (one of the seven north eastern states in
India), an innovative system of tapping of stream and
spring water by using bamboo pipes to irrigate plantations
is widely prevalent.
 It is so perfected that about 18-20 litres of water entering
the bamboo pipe system per minute gets transported over
several hundred metres and finally gets reduced to 20-80
drops per minute at the site of the plant.
 The tribal farmers of Khasi and Jaintia hills use the 200-
year-old system.

20.  Kuls are water channels found in precipitous mountain
areas.
 These channels carry water from glaciers to villages in the
Spiti valley of Himachal Pradesh.
 Where the terrain is muddy, the kul Is lined with rocks to
keep it from becoming clogged.
 Naula is a surface-water harvesting method typical to the
hill areas of Uttaranchal.
 These are small wells or ponds in which water is collected by
making a stone wall across a stream.

21.  Khatris are structures, about 10x12 feet in size and six feet
deep carved out in the hard rock mountain.
 The specially trained masons construct them at a cost of Rs
10,000-20,000 each.
 These traditional water harvesting structures are found in
Hamirpur, Kangra and Mandi districts of Himachal Pradesh.
 Dongs are ponds constructed by the Bodo tribes of Assam
to harvest water for irrigation.
 These ponds are individually owned with no community
involvement.

22.  Virdas are shallow wells dug in low depressions
called jheels (tanks).
 They are found all over the Banni grasslands, a part of
the Great Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.
 This is a wet rice cultivation cum fish farming system
practiced in elevated regions of about 1600 m and gentle
sloping valleys, having an average annual rainfall about 1700
mm and also rich water resources like springs and streams.
 This system harvests both ground and surface water for
irrigation. It is practiced by Apatani tribes of ziro in the
lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh.
 In Apatani system , valleys are terraced into plots
separated by 0.6 meters high earthen dams supported by
bamboo frames. All plots have inlet and outlet on opposite
sides.