This document provides an overview of rainwater harvesting. It discusses the history of rainwater harvesting practices dating back to the 3rd century BC in parts of India and Venice. It also outlines the needs and advantages of rainwater harvesting such as increasing water demands and quality of water supplies. The document describes different methods of rainwater harvesting for urban and rural areas, such as ferro cement tanks and percolation tanks. It concludes that rainwater harvesting is an important way to sustainably meet growing water needs while preserving groundwater resources.

1. BY ARSHEEN SINGH
RAINWATERHARVESTING

2. TABLE OF CONTENT
1) INTRODUCTION
2) HISTORY
3) NEEDS AND ADVANTAGES
4) METHODS AND TECHNIQUES IN URBAN
AND RURAL AREAS
5) CONCLUSION

3. INTRODUCTION
Rainwater harvesting is a technology used to collect,
convey and store rain for later usage. It involves direct
collection and storage of the run-off rainwater for direct
use in future. The different usage of harvested rainwater
can be for domestic purposes like cooking, washing and
bathing and agriculture purposes like watering land,
feeding cattle etc.. Rainwater harvesting is an important
environment friendly approach.

4. HISTORY
Around the third century BC, the farming communities in Balochistan and
Kutch, India, used rainwater harvesting for agriculture and many uses also.
In ancient Tamil Nadu , rainwater harvesting was done by Chola kings.
Rainwater harvesting was done in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh. in the olden days]. Ratanpur, in the state of
Chhattisgarh, had around 150 ponds. Most of the tanks or ponds were
utilized in agriculture works. The ancient inhabitants of Venice established
a system of rainwater collection which was based on man-made insulated
collection wells.

5. THE SHIVAGANGA TANK IN TAMIL NADU WAS BUILT FOR RAINWATER
HARVESTING DURING THE REIGN OF THE MEDIEVAL CHOLA KINGS

6. NEEDS AND ADVANTAGES
NEEDS :
1 Increasing water needs/demands
2 Variations in water availability
3 Responsibilities towards protecting Nature
4 Advantage of collection and storage near the place of use
5 Quality of water supplies
ADVANTAGES :
1) Easy to maintain
2) Reduces water bills
3) Suitable for irrigation
4) Reduces demand of ground water

7. METHODS OF RAINWATER HARVESTING IN
URBAN AREASFerro semen system:
The collection of rainwater
cannot be simpler ,runoff from
the dwelling roof is directed
via the roof gutters from where
it passes through pipes and
then it is filtered in a filter
system. The water is then
stored in a rainwater storage
tank. This system is used in
urban areas.

9. METHODS OF RAINWATER HARVESTING IN RURAL AREAS
Rain Water Harvesting through Percolation Tank:
A. Percolation tank is an artificially created surface water body, submerging in its
reservoir a highly permeable land so that surface runoff is made to percolate and
recharge the ground water storage.
B. The percolation tanks are mostly earthen dams with masonry structure only
for spillway. The purpose of the percolation tanks is to recharge the ground water
storage and hence seepage below the seat of the bed is permissible. For dam’s
upto 4.5 m height, cut off trenches are not necessary and keying and benching
between the dam seat and the natural ground is sufficient.

11. CONCLUSION
It is high time now to fall for surface water usage instead of going for
ground water resources to meet human demand on needs. Considered the
main source of surface water,rainwater is deemed more or less as fresh;
the cost of collecting rainwater too is very low.keeping an eye on the
rapidly increasing day-to-day demand for water among fast growing
human population, there lies a great opportunity to harvest rainwater to
meet a potential scarcity and avoid destruction of the normal groundwater
table level. The boon of rainwater harvesting is – the unused or extra
water which remains after using by the human settlements – it can be send
down the aquifer to charge the groundwater level too.