The principle of collecting and using precipitation from a catchments surface.
Rainwater harvesting is the process of collecting, filtering and storing water from roof tops, paved and unpaved areas for multiple uses. The harvested water can also be used for potable purposes after testing and treatment. Rainwater harvesting mechanisms are designed after assessing the site conditions such as incident rainfall, subsurface strata and their storage characteristics, infiltration test and by building suitable structures to collect and store rainwater.
Rooftop Rain Water Harvesting is the technique through which rain water is captured from the roof catchments and stored in reservoirs. Harvested rain water can be stored in sub-surface ground water reservoir by adopting artificial recharge techniques to meet the household needs through storage in tanks. The Main Objective of rooftop rain water harvesting is to make water available for future use. Capturing and storing rain water for use is particularly important in dryland, hilly, urban and coastal areas.
- To meet the ever increasing demand for water
- To reduce the runoff which chokes storm drains
- To avoid flooding of roads
- To augment the ground water storage and control decline of water levels
- reduce ground water pollution
- To improve the quality of ground water
- To reduce the soil erosion
- To harness good quality water resource now being wasted
- To augment the expensive piped water supply
- To save expenditure on water
- To prevent soil erosion and urban flooding
- Inexpensive and simple technology
- Aids ecological conservation
- To prevent groundwater depletion