Vinayak Realtech

 Rainwater Harvesting System, Do you know India only has 4% freshwater despite having a 1.4 billion population? Do you know that India is rapidly losing its natural water reserve due to this high population?

The rate of groundwater depletion in India from 2041 to 2080 will be thrice due to global warming.

At this point, if you want to save water resources for your future generation, you have to plan to save it.

We, Vinayak Realtech, consistently work to make every project sustainable and spread awareness. With that view, today’s detailed post is all about the Rainwater Harvesting System in your household. So, let’s start!

1. What is a Rainwater Harvesting System?

Rainwater harvesting is all about collecting the rainwater, storing it, and using it in daily life. For example, for car wash or gardening, you don’t need fresh water. You can use this rainwater comfortably.

This way, you will be able to save a lot of water in your daily life.

However, many times the residents of apartments get confused about how they will do it.

Here is your answer to that.

2. How to do a Rainwater Harvesting system in an Apartment?

In an apartment, you have primarily two points where you can collect the rainwater.

The two points are:

• Surface runoff
• Rooftop

Surface Rainwater Harvesting System:  In urban areas, rainwater flows away as surface runoff. This water also can be caught and stored for future use.

Rooftop Area: Rooftop is one of the best places for rainwater harvesting systems. It can be collected directly and can be diverted to an artificial recharge system.

It is important to mention that rainwater harvesting from the rooftop area is easier and less expensive. Additionally, it directly helps in groundwater reservation.

Let us elaborate on the steps you need to follow to do the rainwater harvesting system.

The steps are:

a. Decide the Catchment Area:

The area that receives raindrops directly is known as the catchment area. Now, from rooftop to courtyard, anything can be your catchment area.

It is important to determine which area in your premises is best suited for this purpose and to clean this area just so there is no contamination at this stage.

b. Make a Layout:

One needs to be very careful while making the layout for the rainwater harvesting. The layout controls the amount of water or other smooth activities. There are several options but the major ones are the spread-out tank option and cluster tank option.

c. Storage:

The rainwater gets diverted to the storage tank for future use. Now the storage capacity depends on rainfall and catchment availability. Each drain pipe and collecting system must include

A mesh filter at the mouth and first flush (also known as roof washer) device will divert the first flow of water away from the tank.

A filtration system before connecting to the storage tank.

An air gap to prevent stormwater backflow.

Each tank should have an excess water overflow system.

Excess water could be diverted to the recharge system.

 However, don’t be tense if you buy a flat in an apartment, you will not required to don’t need to do all of these. The system will be pre-installed.

3. The Mechanism:

The mechanism is very simple. One has to place some rain pipes at the places which get the rainwater directly and the pipe will be connected to a tank. Usually, the first portion of the rainwater is not used because it contains a lot of acids and pollutants.

After flushing out the first portion of the rainwater, it gets stored in the tank.

The tank must have a filter installed inside it to purify the water for use.

After filtering out, the water is perfectly fine for use.

So, you need a few components. The components are:

• Catchment- Used to collect and store the captured rainwater.
• Conveyance system – It is used to transport the harvested water from the catchment to the recharge zone.
• Flush- It is used to flush out the first spell of rain.
• Filter – Used for filtering the collected rainwater and removing pollutants.
• Tanks and recharge structures: Used to store the filtered water which is ready to use.

Now several factors play a pivotal role in this rainwater harvesting. The factors are:

• The quantum of runoff
• Type and features of the catchment area
• Impact on the environment
• Availability of technology
• Storage capacity of storage tanks
• The kind of roofs, their slope, and the material of the roof
• The frequency, quantity, and quality of the rainfall
• The speed and ease with which the rainwater penetrates through the subsoil to recharge the groundwater.

These deciding factors control the amount of water and the quality. Now it is the time to look at the advantages of rainwater harvesting briefly.

4. The Advantages of Rainwater Harvesting:

1. Free of Cost: Rainwater is absolutely free. You don’t need any electricity or anything else to get that. The only cost you have to bear is the initial installation cost.
2. Purity: Rainwater is one of the purest forms of water.
3. Control: You can store the rainwater so, you never run out of water actually. It is ideal for places or cities that have a water crisis.
4. Drainage Solution: It can solve the drainage problems on your property while providing you with free water
5. Social Responsibility: Promotes water and electricity conservation and sustainability.

However, this has some drawbacks as well. Let’s have a look at that.

5. Drawbacks of Rainwater Harvesting:

1. You can’t get it just overnight. You need a bit of time to install and use the whole system. In the case of apartments, it needs to be installed at the time of building it only.
2. One needs to hire people with technical knowledge. To install the rainwater harvesting system.
3. If your area is too dry, this system is going to benefit you anyway. However, this is not applicable to Kolkata.
4. The installation needs a huge primary cost and also needs regular maintenance.
5. It requires a lot of space. So, if you stay in a small area, it’s impossible.

FAQs:

How can I install a rainwater harvesting system at my home?

You have to find the right catchment area first, then install PVC pipes to collect the rainwater. For example, if you want to collect rainwater from the rooftop, you have to install PVC at that place.

Then, connect those pipes to a tank, install a filtration system inside the tank and add a tap to the tank to collect water for use.

Please note that you can’t do it on your own. You have to consult and connect with experts. We would suggest you search on the Internet for the right company or person for this.

For which purposes I can use rainwater?

You can use it to wash the car, for gardening, cleaning, etc.

Can I install it in my apartment area?

It is not impossible to make a set of rainwater harvesting in your apartment but it is difficult because it requires new construction work to install pipes and a tank. And many apartments do not allow it.

You have to have a word with the apartment committee.

Final Words:

Rainwater harvesting is one of the finest ways of saving natural resources like water. Although, it needs a good establishment cost, however, it pays back in every possible way.

One of the best things is, that people are getting aware every day. Builders are setting up this in the projects while buyers are also looking for this. If you are looking for an apartment right now, do not forget to look for this feature.