Rainwater Management at Community Level

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There is enough of water on the planet that pours down in the form of rain. Millions of gallons of water is washed off flowing over the road, into the drain and getting dirtier on their way to sea.

How can we channelize this rain water falling on the road and moving into the storm water drain, and connect these storm water drain into the lakes through a 7 layer filter (we can see this basic filter in the science text books (made of marbel, gravel, charcoal, straw, sand, etc)?

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9 Answers

  1. Please read my article Rain Water Harvesting Critical Evaluation

    in book Rain Water Harvesting Practices 2006 published by UNESCO

    Rajendrakumar V Saraf, FIE, FIWWA

    Chairman

     

    Viraj Envirozing India Pvt. Ltd

    21, Radhakrishna, Near SBI, Paud Road

    Pune 41038

    Tel 02015433445, 9822186763

    www.virajenvirozing.com

     

  2. You might be interested in looking at what we've been doing to explore how small-scale distributed nature-based solutions can - even in the most urban of conditions - aggregate to advance watershed management for water and climate resilience. Report at this link: https://www.theriverproject.org/water-la-2018-report

  3. You have received enough advice especially from Ian Pearson. If you are determine to do something for your community, you have to give the location, rainfall pattern and your determination to take up the work for meeting the requirements of the community. Community always some wise people to whom you should talk with regard to using the rainfall at present and find out what is their new requirements and improving the efficiency of rainwater storage and use. Then you can get advice from experienced people on this channel. You must also indicate your relationship with the community so as to be able to convey your ideas to them.

  4. Hi Devansh, we must remember that it is quite natural for rainfall to runoff and flow into the rivers and streams, and hence we must always ensure that at least an ecological minimum of flow reaches these water courses.  As you note roads do increase the % runoff vs infiltration, and having also modified the landscape runoff flow rates will be different to what would have happened under undisturbed conditions.  Because of this it is normally critical to design the drainage channels to reduce the energy of flow as much as possible to prevent erosion and to drop out larger silt particles.  Your question as to whether it is possible to filter the runoff which will generally be carrying a higher suspended solids load than under natural conditions is a great concept.  However you will realise than under any conditions above a light rainfall the flow rate coming off a reasonable stretch of road will be very high requiring a very large filter area.  Alternatives are to capture the runoff in a smaller dam an allowing this to pass through the filter at a constant lower rate - the dam will also allow settling out of the coarser particles.  The dam will need to be designed for flood conditions.  Alternative ideas also include putting solid flocculant blocks into the channels which dissolve under rainfall runoff conditions and will then allow some of the smaller suspended particles to coagulate, flocculate and settle out under low velocity conditions.  A third concept is to install constructed wetlands which the runoff is channeled through - these are natural systems which also act as sediment traps.

    1 Comment

    1. when and how we will achieve this? We can not wait for govt to do at its own pace..how to make govt pace up?

  6. Building the capacity of communities to practice Affordable rainwater harvesting technologies will make the communities own, maintain the systems constructed and scaleup.

  7. Who will clean the filter. What happens to the captured waste.

     

    1 Comment

    1. govt must get it cleaned whenever they are cleaning the road/streets /lakes of that area

  9. Indeed, the rainwater run-off in roads could be better captured, since it has the potential for water storage or groundwater recharge. It can also solve the problem of inadequate drainage, with its consequent road degradation.

    About your question on how to do it, I have only some literature in this matter (I can send it to you if you want). I am interested in learning more, so I am following this question.

    2 Comments

    1. I would love to read and get more educated in saving water because I see there will be no life for kids if we wont save water

       

    2. Education is answer. Insitu rainwater collection, storage, use, waste water processing, composting that waste, by product is potable drinking water. Would require a biogenerator to collect the electricity from this natural process.