Rainwater Harvesting: Need Of The Hour

It is said that World War III will not be fought for geographic dominance but solely on the basis of water. This may sound far-fetched to citizens of more developed countries. However, in India there are already daily battles being waged by areas, projects and individuals for access to this precious resource during summers, writes Santhosh Kumar, Vice Chairman, ANAROCK Property Consultants

- Santhosh Kumar

India, which depends almost completely on the annual monsoon season, currently faces the most severe water crisis in the annals of its known history. A recent report by NITI Aayog predicts that as many as 21 cities in the country will see total depletion of their groundwater by as early as 2020. Even today, our cities run dry like clockwork during summers. Nevertheless, there is still not enough awareness about the simple solution of rainwater harvesting in India. Can we really afford to neglect this straightforward solution any longer?

Successes and Challenges

In Bangalore, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board has mandated that every structure built on 30 x 40 sq. feet and above and old buildings built on 40 x 60 sq. feet and above should install rainwater harvesting. In case anybody fails to do so, he or she must pay a penalty every month. Interestingly, despite its annual water woes, Bangalore gets ample rainfall. There even are some notable success stories. An R Shivakumar, also known as the city’s ‘Rain Man’ has built a house that is completely dependent on rainwater harvested during the rains. His house, ‘Sourabha’ in Vijayanagar, runs on water collected in underground and overhead tanks.