Rain Water Harvesting in Bangalore - A Report

 I am not sure this thread is the place where we want to sound of about RWH. The goal of this thread is to more discuss the Water Index Project.  Nevertheless, some quick comments.  

According to examples that I have seen and after a conservation with an official of the Central Ground Water Board (who had come for a road show in our office for earth day), properly done ground water recharge works.  It may not necessarily recharge your own borewell or open well, but it definitely helps the community GW levels and by extension, if everybody does it, your own ground water level. it works in many parts of Bangalore, although it may not work in certain locations depending on the geology.

About directly filtering and using rain water, I have my skepticism.  Few reliable people have affirmed that they have tested harvested water and that it meets all potable specs provided the terrace (harvesting surface) is kept clean.  Until I get a chance to verify this myself, preference is to trust the data.

Finally, do not do a return on investment computation.  There is money you pay from your pocket and money society pays and by extension we do, through increased pain or taxes. What is the cost of increased ground water depletion for each of us.  Hard to put a monetary value.

This much is accepted the world over.  Increased built up area limits ground water recharge that was naturally occuring.  RWH is one way to use this precious water and to lower other impacts such as flooding.

that is a negligible percentage of the population of Bangalore and most people don't think too much about the long run

Actually that 'most people' have no choice, thats why it has been made compulsory. Believe me those people will bribe the administrators to get away or delay to the maximum, even if it means in the long run they will pay more on bribe than they would have implementing RWH. Common good isnt on those peoples mind anyway even if you educate them.

Okay, I have a question concerning the potability of Rain Water. I cannot seem to find a reasonable answer from looking on the web or searching through Praja.

Tomorrow I am going to get RWH done and what we are planning is that the water will be fed to the sump. So this means that it will be used directly by us - not for drinking water and not usually for cooking but for other things - such as brushing teeth and showering. We will be using somthing called a Rainy Filtre which filtres up to 250 microns. However there is no biological purification - so perhaps bacteria or viruses coming in from the gunk on the roof - and other particulate matter can enter the system

So my question is whether someone else has done precisely this ? That is, connected RWH directly to the sump and is actually consuming it. Most people I know have either connected the RWH system to a groundwater recharging hole in the ground or to a borewell. I am not so keen on the hole in the ground as I was told that the ground in Bangalore is not so permeable so the water remains for a long time and could lead to other problems such as mosquitos or  overflow. We dont have a borewell so the other option is not possible.

The company says the water is potable but they cannot guarantee biological purity. So I was hoping to get some feedback on this issue. My plan now is to get the water tested before and then after to see whether there is a significant change.

Ramesh

@Ramesh

As long as the water does not collect any harmful chemicals while flowing into your sump, it can be considered safe enough for all purposes other than drinking (including brushing your teeth). During the course of the flow, enough of aeration is happening to neutralise a large part of the contamination like those caused by the monkeys' droppings, etc, which besides gets diluted over the comparatively larger volume of water.

So, make merry! Happy rain water harvesting!
 

Dear IDS,

In a democracy all are equal, fortunates and unfortunates. The tax paying unfortunates have been subsidizing even the hutment dwellers for their electricity, water and civic facilities all these years. So called hutment dwellers you seem to sympathize with all earn atleast  100 rs per day and each household income is about 10,000 per month in Bangalore since most are construction workers. My point is why should only the 60x40s or higher numbering 60,000 harvest the rain , why not the government which owns 60 percent of land around the city and receive funds from the UN projects do something more. Why not everybody? are you not tired of supporting the havenots all your life in some form or the other? gas,pds,water,electricity,ration subsidies? Everyone should be called upon  to harvest and save also, not just the 60,000. Just as an aside, it is already implemented in my property. I am fighting against the autocratic behaviour.

My objection is  to the illegal, unauthorized,illogical  methods BWSSB is using for enforcement.

I have already implemented the RWH in principle- I donot want to pay the BWSSB engineer and his authorized contractor for a certificate. When things run on the basis of such certificates I am sure you know as well as I do that the RWH compliance will be only on paper.

Why not make it every house holder? why not club 2 site owners of smaller size? After all they also get rain water and infact it would encourage  the smaller houses to have atleast  a 3x3  open earth! everything is built up and concreted.

Why should not the meter reader who comes everymonth be permitted to certify compliance? Why burden the consumer?

Why have not rules been brought out for controlling the indiscriminate sinking of borewells which is one of the major causes for depletion of the water table after 25 years of the problem coming to their notice?

Are you one of the householders required to shell out for RWH or 30 percent educated, or 5 percent tax payer,  or  well off'  you  would  have many objections to  carry  all the ills  and ails of the other seventy percent.

They dont have to pay taxes, utilities, power, but get to live in an upscale address.  All the "benefits"  of "city" life they get is from your(?) and my hard earned money.  That goes to subsidize food, schooling and anything else government provides them in their name from your money.

After sixty years of giving "free" rides to the "unfortunates" slum dwellers and uneducated,

I object to hauling  the donkey cart, so they can have cell phones, radios cable TVs two wheelers, alcohol etc on your and my hard earned money.

Why should not the meter reader who comes everymonth be permitted to certify compliance? Why burden the consumer?

 Instead of creating awareness and cooperation. No one will have problems with prospective rules. But to selectively apply the rule to some 60000  old households arbitrarily, retrospectively is undemocratic and illegal. I dont know whether you have a porperty for which you have to make these alterations to "suit" BWSSB officials and the "authorized" contractors.
Have you any idea how much of BWSSBs revenue is drained by the illegal connections?

BWSSB should plug all the loop holes. How much can 60,000 houses save. Seeking voluntary compliance is always a better democratic way and supposed norm in a SIXTY years independent India.

They just sell their votes for a saree,drink, 500 rupees etc and tilt your democracy in their favor each and every time. Democracy becomes the mockery that you can see in every state every day.

Now a days you cannot get any of the villagers to do a day's honest work even by paying because under the Rozgar yojanas each household gets one job, which they get paid doing nothing.
That is why labor contractors are bringing employees from Bihar orissa west bengal etc.

All I want is democracy to be fair to one and all, not be based on the economic/educational status or the burden of the mass be borne by the educated or well off sixty years after independence.

The 60,000 is BWSSB figure of the 60x40 and above fraction of the  160,000 preexisting connections. The exempt 100,000 connections based on plot size is the vote based arbitrariness.

I have absolutely no issues with the value of RWH or the need to conserve water or to recharge depleting water table on an aggressive basis. If one has lived sixty years in post independent India it soon becomes obvious.

Voluntary or compulsory most of the governmental and public efforts are just an effort without anticipated returns. But I will participate in it as long as everyone irrespective of economic, or vote considerations is a party and government cracks a legal whip.

Disconnection of Sewerage and Water? Give me a break.