Traditional and Innovative Water Harvesting Methods in India

Pradip Tripura1, Sunil Kumar2* and Hanuman Singh Jatav3

1Sharda University, Greater Noida-201306, 2 PUSA-IARI, New Delhi, 3SKNAU, Jobner
*Corresponding author e-mail: [email protected]

1. Introduction: Traditional Water unique water conservation systems

Conservation Systems prevalent in India and the communities
We all know water is essential, but too who have practiced them for decades
before the debate on climate change even
fresh water is a finite resource that is existed.
rapidly becoming scarce. In India, a
warming climate is drying up lakes and 2. Water Conservation practices from
rivers, while rapid urbanization and water past and present
pollution are putting enormous pressure on Since ages, people across different regions
the quantity and quality of surface and of India, have experienced either excess or
scarce water due to varied rainfall and land
agricultural system still depends primarily topography. Yet, they have managed to
on rainfall and a bad monsoon season can irrigate their agricultural fields using
wreak havoc on the national economy localized water harvesting methods. Their
Water conservation is a key element of any traditional ways, though less popular, are
strategy that aims to alleviate the water still in use and efficient. They are enriched
scarcity crisis in India. With rainfall with knowledge to manage water in
patterns changing almost every year,
the Indian government has started looking traditional water conservation methods in
at means to revive the traditional systems India
of water harvesting in the country. Given 2.1 Jhalara: Jhalaras were man-made
that these methods are simple and eco- tanks, found in Rajasthan and Gujarat,
friendly for the most part, they are not just essentially meant for community use, royal
highly effective for the people who rely on ceremonies and for religious rites but not
them, but they are also good for the for drinking. Jhalaras are typically
environment. rectangular-shaped stepwells that have
tiered steps on three or four sides. These
History tells us that both floods and stepwells collect the subterranean seepage
droughts were regular occurrence in of an upstream reservoir or a lake. They
ancient India. Perhaps therefore, every were ground water bodies which were
region in the country has its own built to ensure easy and regular supply of
traditional water harvesting techniques that water to the surrounding areas. The city of
reflect the geographical peculiarities and Jodhpur has eight jhalaras, the oldest being
cultural uniqueness of the regions. The the Mahamandir Jhalara that dates to 1660
basic concept underlying all these AD.
techniques is that rain should be harvested
whenever and wherever it falls.

Drawing upon centuries of

experience, Indians continued to build
structures to catch, hold and store
monsoon rainwater for the dry seasons to
come. These traditional techniques, though
less popular today, are still in use and
efficient. Here is a brief account of the
2.2 Talab/Bandhi: Talabs are reservoirs
that store water for household
consumption and drinking purposes. They
may be natural, such as
the pokhariyan ponds at Tikamgarh in the
Bundelkhand region or manmade, such as
the lakes of Udaipur. A reservoir with an
area less than five bighas is called
a talai, a medium sized lake is called
a bandhi and bigger lakes are
called sagar or samand.
The pokhariyan served the purpose of 2.4 Taanka: Taanka is a traditional
irrigation and drinking. When the water in rainwater harvesting technique indigenous
these reservoirs dried up, the pond beds to the Thar desert region of Rajasthan. A
were used for cultivation. Taanka is a cylindrical paved underground
pit into which rainwater from rooftops,
courtyards or artificially prepared
catchments flows. Once completely filled,
the water stored in a taanka can last
throughout the dry season and is sufficient
for a family of 5-6 members. An important
element of water security in these arid
regions, taankas can save families from the
everyday drudgery of fetching water from
distant sources.

2.3 Bawari/Baori: Bawaris are unique

stepwells that were once a part of the
ancient networks of water storage in the
cities of Rajasthan. The little rain that the
region received would be diverted to man-
made tanks through canals built on the
hilly outskirts of cities. The water would
then percolate into the ground, raising the
water table and recharging a deep
and intricate network of aquifers. To 2.5 Johads: Johads, one of the oldest
minimize water loss through evaporation, systems used to conserve and recharge
a series of layered steps were built around ground water, are small earthen check
the reservoirs to narrow and deepen the dams that capture and store rainwater.
wells. Most of them are very old and were Johads collect monsoon water, which
built by banjaras for their drinking water slowly seeps into recharge groundwater
needs. They could hold water for a long and maintain soil moisture. Sometimes,
time because of almost negligible many Johads are interconnected with a
water evaporation gulley or deep channels with a single
outlet in a river or stream nearby to
prevent structural damage. Water from
Johads is still been widely used by farmers
to irrigate fields in many parts of India. In
fact, the arid state of Rajasthan has seen a
drastic improvement in water conservation
due to the efforts of Rajendra Singh of are many more such kunds that have met
Tarun Bharat Sangh to revive Johads. the water needs of the people of Rajasthan
and other states over centuries. Raja Sur
Singh is said to have built the earliest
known kunds in the village of Vadi Ka
Melan in the year 1607 AD.

2.6 Khadin: Khadins are ingenious

constructions designed to harvest surface
runoff water for agriculture. The main
feature of a khadin, also called dhora, is a
long earthen embankment that is built 2.8 Nadi: Found near Jodhpur in
across the hill slopes of gravelly uplands. Rajasthan, nadis are village ponds that
Sluices and spillways allow the excess store rainwater collected from adjoining
water to drain off and the water-saturated natural catchment areas. The location of
land is then used for crop production. First a nadi has a strong bearing on its storage
designed by the Paliwal Brahmins of capacity and hence the site of a nadi
Jaisalmer in the 15th century, this system is chosen after careful deliberation of its
is very similar to the irrigation methods of catchment and runoff characteristics. Since
the people of ancient Ur (present Iraq). nadis received their water supply from
erratic, torrential rainfall, large amounts of
sandy sediments were regularly deposited
in them, resulting in quick siltation. A
local voluntary organisation, the Mewar
Krishak Vikas Samiti (MKVS) has been
adding systems like spillways and silt traps
to old nadis and promoting afforestation of
their drainage basin to prevent siltation.

2.7 Kund: A kund is a saucer-shaped

catchment area that gently slopes towards
the central circular underground well. Its
main purpose is to harvest rainwater for
drinking. Kunds dot the sandier tracts of
western arid regions of Rajasthan, Gujarat
and in areas where the limited 2.9 Katta/Pat system: Katta is a temporary
groundwater available is moderate to structure made by binding mud and loose
highly saline. Traditionally, these well-pits stones available locally. This type of
were covered in disinfectant lime and ash, structure water pits also called pat system
though many modern kunds have been in Madhya Pradesh. The Pat system, in
constructed simply with cement. In such which the peculiarities of the terrain are
conditions, kunds provided convenient, used to divert water from hill streams into
clean and sweet water for drinking. There
irrigation channels. Diversion bunds are 2.11 Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting: All
made across small streams and rivers; this of us who directly consume water are the
stone bund slows the flow of water and most important stakeholders in managing
stores a large amount (depending upon its water. While many of us urbanites use or
height) during the dry months. The waste a lot of water, we rarely try to
collected water gradually seeps into conserve it. Fortunately, the rainwater
ground and increase the water level of harvesting method has provided a solution
nearby wells. In coastal areas, they also that can be practiced easily in every
minimize the flow of fresh water into the household. It is a simple model where the
sea. roof acting as a catchment for rainfall,
which after flowing through a series of
filters and pipes is stored in ground-level
containers for direct use or recharged into
ground water. Given below is a simple
formula to calculate the water that can be
collected from your rooftop.

2.10 Step wells: Another most unique

example for harvesting rainwater and
providing water for drinking purpose in
arid parts of our country was the step well.
Step wells are also called water temples of
India. The idea to construct step wells was 2.12 Tech Specs Table: An area of 1,000
initiated due to the need to ensure water square feet with 1 inch of rainfall is
supply during the period of drought. Some estimated to yield 550 gallons of water.
of the step wells were dug very close to For an existing building, the cost of water
tanks to get drinking water throughout the harvesting systems can range from Rs.
year. Adalaj-Vav is a very popular step- 10,000 to Rs 30,000. Designs have been
well i.e. about 20 kms from Ahmdabad. It formulated for both pukka and kutcha
is made in the form of a temple that ends houses to make it a household activity. In a
into a well. The well is about six storeys running model, the stored water has been
below ground level. widely used for irrigation, domestic usage
as well as animals. D&D Ecotech services,
Jal prapat drillers, water harvesters and
Nirmal Jal are some of the reliable service
providers of this technology. For new
buildings (with more than 100 sq. m. area),
rainwater harvesting has been made
mandatory by few state governments like
Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and
Himachal Pradesh.