Case study: Rainwater harvesting in very high rainfall area

Abstract

The sustainable water management requires understanding the value of rain, and to make optimum use of rainwater at the place where it falls. With rapid urbanisation and greater areas coming under roofs and concrete structures the water utilities have focused on augmentation and failed to combine traditional wisdom with modern engineering. The document discusses two case studies with over arching framework of different rainfall agro-climatic regions - low/scanty and very high (this case study) rainfall and defines type of RWH implemented within context. In both cases it is clearly evident that the selection of system is site and context specific. For planning and delivery of any RWH the information and data to be considered include: geological boundaries; hydraulic boundaries; inflow and outflow of waters; storage capacity; porosity; water resources available for recharge, natural recharge; water balance; depth of aquifer and tectonic boundaries that may vary from site to site.