"Rainwater Harvesting"

A simple rainwater harvesting system that I installed at my modest independent home in Sastri Nagar, almost 15 years ago, is what is helping me through the current water crisis. Between 1982 and 1993, there was no reason for us to worry about water. There was sufficient water in the open well. So, we did not have to depend on the water supply to our locality, which was unreliable and erratic. Due to poor rainfall in the years 1993 and 1994, water in the well was depleting at a fast rate, I sunk a borewell which became the main source of water supply for the family. A friend suggested that I go in for an RWH system. It would be a simple structure. It would recharge my well by channeling the rainwater collected on the terrace during rains into the well through PVC pipes, suitably filtered. That did not solve the problem.During heavy rains, the compound would be flooded with rainwater, one-foot high, as the platform of my premises was at a lower level than the road.