Biome Environmental Trust conducted workshops on rainwater harvesting at Meghalaya for the govt schools there in 2017 in collaboration with Earth and Us

1. Meghalaya Rainwater Harvesting Workshop
Report
17th-25th Aug 2017

2. Meghalaya Rainwater Harvesting Workshop Report – 17th
-25th
August 2017
Page 2 of 8
Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................3
Agenda of the Workshops ............................................................................................................................3
Project Background.......................................................................................................................................3
The Workshops .............................................................................................................................................4
Planning for Workshops............................................................................................................................4
Workshop 1- Mawkyrwat Govt. Lps, Mawkyrwat-17th
-18th
August 2017 ....................................................4
Day 0 – 16th Aug 2017- Site evaluation....................................................................................................4
Day 1 – 17th Aug 2017- Inauguration Ceremony, Community Engagement and Student Learning........4
Day 2— 18th
Aug 2017- Advisory Clinic and Walk around Tour of Rainwater Harvesting System ...........5
Workshop 2- Morning Star H. Sec School, Nongpoh- 21st
-22nd
August 2017................................................5
Day 0 – 20th
Aug 2017- Site evaluation.....................................................................................................5
Day 1 – 21st
Aug 2017- Inauguration Ceremony, Community Engagement and Student Learning..........5
Day 2— 22nd
Aug 2017- Advisory Clinic ....................................................................................................6
Workshop 3- Sibsingh Higher Secondary School, Nongstoin- 24th
-25th
August 2017...................................6
Day 0 – 23rd
Aug 2017- Site evaluation.....................................................................................................6
Day 1 – 24th
Aug 2017- Inauguration Ceremony, Community Engagement and Student Learning .........6
Day 2— 25th
Aug 2017 – Engineer Training and Advisory Clinic...............................................................6
The way forward...........................................................................................................................................7

3. Meghalaya Rainwater Harvesting Workshop Report – 17th
-25th
August 2017
Page 3 of 8
Meghalaya Rainwater Harvesting Workshop Report, 17th
-25th
Aug 2017
Introduction
Between August 17
th
-25
th
2017, three rainwater harvesting workshops were held in held in Mawkyrwat in South
West Khasi Hills , Nongpoh in Ri-Bhoi District and at Nongstoin in West Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. The main
objective of the workshops was to create awareness about the viability and suitability of rainwater harvesting
systems in communities and villages of Meghalaya through pilot installations in schools and to impart technical
knowhow in installation and maintenance to all stakeholders involved. Capacity building was also initiated for both
design and implementation of rainwater water harvesting system.
The first workshop was held in Mawkyrwat Govt. Lps in Mawkyrwat under South West Khasi Hills on 17
th
and 18
th
August 2017. The second workshop was held in Morning Star H. Sec School in Nongpoh under Ri Bhoi District on 21
st
and 22
nd
August 2017. And the third workshop was conducted in Sibsingh Higher Secondary School on 24
th
and 25
th
August 2017 in Nongstoin under West Khasi Hills.
Agenda of the Workshops
• To understand prevailing issues at schools around water from school staff and community members
• To understand the implication on the project on the current and future situation in Meghalaya.
• To conduct a hands-on participatory implementation in the schools and engage with teachers, students and
engineers from the Soil and Water Conservation department.
• Using this system as proof of concept and take away the learning for further interventions by the
communities and state government.
• To explore how water consciousness can be inculcated among children.
Project Background
In October 2015, earth&us organized a two-day workshop on Water Management in schools for the SEMAM (SSA).
The workshop was attended by 75 school staff. The resource people at the workshop included representatives from
the Water Resource Department, Underground Water Resource Department and the PHE Department.
The main objective of this meeting was to explore possibilities for how to ensure water provision at all 11,350
schools in the state and how this programme can be taken at a war footing through convergence of resources across
departments. Upon surveying all schools in Meghalaya, it has been discovered that 1,311 schools need rainwater
harvesting systems to have access to water.
Since the above workshop, various discussions have been held with state departments of SSA, Planning Commission,
Planning, MBDA, PHE and Water Resources. On 6
th
March 2017, a multi stakeholder meeting was organized by the
Planning Department where it was suggested that the schools needing water provision will be get a system through
convergence of funding. The cost for 1,311 schools has been estimated to be in the range of 42 crore rupees.
To kick start the process, earth&us was requested to organize 3 workshops where a rainwater harvesting system is
installed in a school that needs it and the workshop is attended by school representatives from the block that need a
rainwater harvesting system.
On April 18th-20th 2017, the first rainwater harvesting workshop, as proposed by earth&us, was carried out in
Umthli SSA Lower Primary School in East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya. A follow-up visit was also done in this school on 20
th
August 2017. The system was found to be functioning well and the rainwater harvested was being used for all
purposes including drinking and cooking.

4. Meghalaya Rainwater Harvesting Workshop Report – 17th
-25th
August 2017
Page 4 of 8
Based on the Workshop held in Umthli from 18-20 April 2017, it had been suggested that 10 more awareness and
RWH systems installation workshops be conducted, one in each district – at the earliest. Based on initial survey done
in five districts of, East Khasi Hills, West Khasi Hills, Ri-bhoi, East Jaintia Hills and West Jaintia Hills, and with the
support of the Meghalaya Soil and Water Conservation Department and Meghalaya SSA, the three schools for
conducting rainwater harvesting workshop were shortlisted in West Khasi Hills, South West Khasi Hills and Ri-Bhoi
Districts.This report is the summary of these three workshops.
The stakeholders are comprised of representatives from:
• School staff from identified schools
• Planning Commission
• Meghalaya Soil and Water Conservation Department (S&WC)
• Meghalaya Education Department
• Meghalaya Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)
• Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA)
• BIOME
• Local communities
• earth&us
The Workshops
Planning for Workshops
Preparation—this included short listing of schools, transportation, logistics, invitations and transportation. earth&us,
Meghalaya Soil and Water Conservation Department and Education Department and Meghalaya Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan (SSA) jointly coordinated this part.
Identifying school and dates for workshops—SSA was accompanied by local Puchki volunteers to visit and identify
eligible schools in five districts. They were in charge of capturing the qualitative as well as technical information
about the existing scenarios. Based on their survey, Biome identified two schools per district suitable for installation
and workshop from which three schools were shortlisted for the installations and workshops.
Invitations for Workshop—Invitations for the workshop were sent out to representatives from schools in the blocks
of the selected districts that are facing water shortage at the school.
Workshop 1- Mawkyrwat Govt. Lps, Mawkyrwat-17th
-18th
August 2017
Day 0 – 16th Aug 2017- Site evaluation
The work on the system was in progress but was delayed owing to continuous heavy rainfall. earth&us, Biome, and
the SSA team visited the site to evaluate the system installation in progress and to check that it is in line with the
needs and usage pattern of the school. The system installation was expected to be complete within the next two
days.
Day 1 – 17th Aug 2017- Inauguration Ceremony, Community Engagement and Student Learning
The inauguration ceremony was attended by chief guest Shri Hedrian Lyngdoh, member of District Council,
Mawkyrwat, South West Khasi Hills and the District Mission Coordinator Shri W Biam. After the inauguration
ceremony, the BIOME team gave a presentation on Installing Rainwater Harvesting Systems.
The first day of the workshop was mostly focused on engaging with the local community, school staff, village leaders,
and school children. Over 150 students from 5 schools and around 100 members from the local community were
present along with representatives from the Soil and Water Conservation Department, Meghalaya SSA team.

5. Meghalaya Rainwater Harvesting Workshop Report – 17th
-25th
August 2017
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The students were divided by age group and engaged in activities related to the importance of water and its
conservation. A combination of techniques such as fun games, story-telling, stories through visuals, experiments,
small group exercises and discussions were conducted.
Parallel discussions were held with the village community, school staff, earth&us and rainwater harvesting experts
BIOME regarding prevailing water issues at the school, technical knowhow in installation and maintenance and how
the new system will be operated and who will take charge. Later, community members were taken on a tour of the
rainwater system in installation.
Day 2— 18th
Aug 2017- Advisory Clinic and Walk around Tour of Rainwater Harvesting System
Representatives from each of the schools were divided into teams. They brought pictures along with dimensions of
their school’s roofs to the advisory clinics to seek advice on implementation of rainwater harvesting system. This
information along with the number of students was used to customize the design of the system depending on the
needs of the school. 77 school representatives participated in the clinic.
After the clinic, the school representatives were taken on a tour of the school to understand the technical aspects of
a rainwater harvesting system including components such as storage tanks, filtration systems, plumbing, roofs and
channeling. The Rainwater Harvesting system implementation work was completed on 20
th
August 2017 as
communicated by the on-site engineer Mr. Kharshing from Soil and Water Conservation Department.
Workshop 2- Morning Star H. Sec School, Nongpoh- 21st
-22nd
August 2017
Day 0 – 20th
Aug 2017- Site evaluation
The work on the system was progressing well. Biome, earth&us, and SSA team visited to ensure that the work is
progressing well and is in line with the needs and usage pattern of the school. It was found that the work was in
progress and the Principal of the school was also present. He gave valuable insight into their daily water
consumption pattern and also assured that he and his students will take responsibility of the system’s maintenance.
Day 1 – 21st
Aug 2017- Inauguration Ceremony, Community Engagement and Student Learning
Day 1 of the workshop started with the inauguration ceremony whichwas attended by Chief GuestSmt D Phawa, the
Additional District Magistrate and Smt D.D.Syngai, the District Mission Coordinator (MCS). Shri J Makdoh, Junior
Engineer from Soil and water conservation Department was also present in the workshop. After the inauguration
ceremony, the BIOME team spoke on installing rainwater harvesting systems.
Thereafter, the workshop focused on engaging with the local community, school staff, village leaders, and school
children. Over 150 students from 5 schools and around 100 members from the local community were present along
with representatives from the Soil and Water Conservation Department, Meghalaya SSA team.
The students were divided on the basis of their schools and engaged in activities related to the importance of water
and its conservation through small group activities, demonstrations and discussions. At the end of the session
students were also introduced to the Tippy tap hand washing system and a water saving dish washing technique.
At the same time, parallel discussions were held with the village community, school staff, earth&us and rainwater
harvesting experts BIOME regarding prevailing water issues at the school, technical knowhow in installation and
maintenance and how the new system will be operated and who will take charge. Following this, the school
representatives were taken on a walk around tour of the school to understand the technical aspects of a rainwater
harvesting system including components such as storage tanks, filtration systems, plumbing, roofs and channeling.
Discussions were also held on water conservation and water contamination. Tippy tap hand washing stations and
water-saving utensil washing stations were set up which were demonstrated by school children to create awareness
on alternate methods of water conservation.

6. Meghalaya Rainwater Harvesting Workshop Report – 17th
-25th
August 2017
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Day 2— 22nd
Aug 2017- Advisory Clinic
Following a presentation and discussion by BIOME team on the components of rainwater harvesting system and their
maintenance, representatives from the schools were grouped into five teams for the advisory clinic. They brought
pictures along with dimensions of their school’s roofs to the advisory clinics to seek advice on implementation of
rainwater harvesting system. This information along with the number of students was used to customize the design
of the system depending on the needs of the school. 88 school representatives participated in the clinic.
After the clinic, the school representatives participated in a session on open defecation, sanitation and hygiene
conducted by the FFCT team member.
Workshop 3- Sibsingh Higher Secondary School, Nongstoin- 24th
-25th
August 2017
Day 0 – 23rd
Aug 2017- Site evaluation
earth&us, Biome, SSA team visited the school to ensure that the work was progressing well and in line with the
needs and usage pattern of the school. It was found that the work on the system had only recently begun. The civil
work was mostly completed but piping and plumbing work was yet to be started. It was also found that the existing
resources for storage of rainwater in this school had not been included in the new system installation and a separate
storage tank was constructed.
Day 1 – 24th
Aug 2017- Inauguration Ceremony, Community Engagement and Student Learning
The first day started with the inauguration ceremony which was attended by chief guest Shri B.B.Warjri, MDC
Mawthadraishan. Smt P. Ryntathiang, BMC Nongstoinand Smt L.Lynrah, BMC Mawthadraishan were also present.
The inauguration ceremony was followed by a discussion and presentation on the installation of rainwater harvesting
system by the BIOME team.
This workshop, like the previous ones, also emphasised on engaging with the local community, school staff, village
leaders, and school children. Over 160 students from 4 schools and around 150 local community members were
present. The students were divided according to their schools and engaged in activities related to the importance of
water conservation and use of rainwater harvesting through group exercises and discussions. Later they were also
introduced to the Tippy Tap hand washing stations.
Simultaneously, parallel discussions were held with the village community, school staff, earth&us and rainwater
harvesting experts BIOME regarding prevailing water issues at the school, technical knowhow in installation and
maintenance and how the new system will be operated and who will take charge.
Day 2— 25th
Aug 2017 – Engineer Training and Advisory Clinic
A rainwater harvesting training was organised for about 15 staff/engineers of the Water and Soil conservation
department on 25th Aug 2017 at Nongstoin . This training was organized at the behest of the department. During
conversations and review of the system on the previous day it was felt that the implementation in the schools was
done largely based on the design proposed by a central department and was not based on potential for RWH as well
as requirement for water in the school. The storage capacity was taken as fixed irrespective of enrollment. So it was
felt very necessary to have a discussion with concerned staff/engineers about importance of planning and design
based on requirement of each school. The training covered topics were:
a. How to calculate potential for rainwater harvesting
b. How to size and locate the storage based on usage pattern, rooftop size, rainfall and critical period.
c. Design of filter keeping in mind the quality required for end use.
d. Safety issues against vandalism.

7. Meghalaya Rainwater Harvesting Workshop Report – 17th
-25th
August 2017
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e. Ease of maintenance.
Feedback from the trainees seemed to indicate that training prior to the implementation could have resulted in a
better and well informed implementation.
A presentation on the different components of the rain water harvesting system, their significance and methods for
maintenance was also conducted with the school staff and local community. As maintenance costs were an
important concern for most community members, suggestions were given on how to use cost-effective and easily
available materials and techniques to maintain the rainwater harvesting system.
Following this the school representatives were divided into five groups and the advisory clinics were started.
Representatives from each of the schools brought pictures along with dimensions of their school’s roofs to the
advisory clinics to seek advice on implementation of rainwater harvesting system. This information along with the
number of students was used to customize the design of the system depending on the needs of the school. 83 school
representatives participated in the advisory clinic
Following this, they were introduced to Tippy tap hand washing stations and water-saving utensil washing stations
which were set up to create awareness on simple water conservation methods. After this, a session on sanitation and
hygiene was conducted.
The Way Forward
1. Community participation has been a critical part of the workshops to create awareness and build a sense of
ownership to ensure proper usability and maintenance of the RWH system. As this project moves forward this
aspect should be made mandatory and lead by the Meghalaya SSA in collaboration with the Soil & Water
Conservation Team and Puchki interns.
2. It was noticed that the design for the rainwater harvesting systems was similar in all three schools. From
previous experience, our recommendation is that the design should be customized based on enrollment, water
vulnerability in the lean period, existing storage capacity and recurring expense on water purchase.
3. To verify this, a visit was organised to Umthli school on 23rd Aug 2017 to see the functioning/usage and
maintenance of the system that was implemented in April 2017. It was found that the school is using the water
very well for both kitchen and toilet. Some of the key points that seemed to have worked in the school is the fact
that it is a customised design based on school’s requirements and the engagement with the staff. The staff
seemed to take pride in the system as well as gladly showed us around. Videos where they speak about their
system
English : https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByO9XBfI-5DWUW5MMEl1aHZTMXM/view?usp=sharing
Khasi : https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByO9XBfI-5DWSE92Z0ZNUTREY1k/view?usp=sharing
4. Training on rainwater harvesting of site engineers/senior engineers (others groups/individuals to be identified)
who will be designing the system, was felt required. The training will help ensure that appropriate design is
thought of for each school.
5. So as to ensure that the school is involved in the designing of the RWH system, it would be good to get a signoff
of the design from the concerned stakeholders (school authorities of each school). The design that will be shared
with the school will be a schematic showing the location as well as sizes of rainwater harvesting structures (can
be a hand sketch as well). Same shall be preserved digitally for future reference. The signoff team can include
a. Head teacher (to allow for ownership of design from school)

8. Meghalaya Rainwater Harvesting Workshop Report – 17th
-25th
August 2017
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b. SSA/other person (person/team to be identified) who has an interest in the school as well as a basic
understanding of RWH systems
c. A technical reviewer who would provide input on stability, ease of maintenance of the system.
The feedback hence shall be considered while finalizing the design. After that only implementation can start.
For design of the RWH systems of the first 3 schools, Biome will also help with a remote review.
6. Instead of standardising budget of 3.5 lakh for each school, it is proposed that a quantum of 35 lakhs (10 schools
* 3.5lakhs) be allocated to each district. Some trained/responsible person should be able to allocate the budget
to each school based on the proposed design/budget for each school.
7. If MBDA is keen on standardizing the design of RWH systems in the subsequent 100 schools, Biome can
recommend 3 different designs and storage capacities based on school enrollment and roof area. A checklist of
recommendations and guidelines for S&WC engineers during the site visit and design stage will be also be
provided to aid in successful system implementation.