Water Harvesting: Tapping into Nature’s Reservoir

 Being a critical and perpetual natural resource, water is essential for the health of every species on Earth, the socio-economic prosperity of a country, food production, and the environment. Looking at the severe pressure of water scarcity around the world, top M.Sc. colleges in Jaipur discuss the emerging problem and possible solutions with their students. One such college, Poddar International College, actively explores topics like changing demographic patterns, socio-economic development, technological innovation, and environmental degradation, especially climate change, that are responsible for creating an acute water shortage for human life. In such a situation, it has been found that technological solutions like rainwater harvesting, wastewater reuse, and desalination can reduce the problem to some extent, also in countries with modest economic means.

Water Harvesting: Definition

The term ‘water harvesting’ generally refers to the collection of rainstorm-generated runoff from a particular area (a catchment) to provide water for human, animal, or crop use. The water thus collected can either be utilized immediately, as for irrigation, or be stored in aboveground ponds or in subsurface reservoirs, such as cisterns or shallow aquifers, for subsequent utilization. As such, water harvesting is an ancient practice that has enabled some societies to subsist in semiarid and arid areas where other sources of fresh water (e.g., rivers, lakes, or aquifers) are scant or unavailable. 

At the leading science college in Jaipur, Poddar International College, students learn that Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is the collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from a roof-like surface and redirected to a tank, cistern, deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), aquifer, or a reservoir with percolation, so that it seeps down and restores the groundwater.

Advantages of Rainwater Harvesting

Students of a B.Sc. and M.Sc. course in Jaipur learn that rain harvesting has many advantages that can help reduce the pressure on the environment due to changing demographics, climate change, and other recent transformations impacting the ecological balance.

1. It can be used as an additional water source wherever water is scarce and needed.

2. It is self-sufficient and ensures the protection of water resources.

3. It is purified to provide safe drinking water.

4. It is used for planting and landscape irrigation.

5. It reduces rainwater runoff into surface runoff.

6. It uses simple technology and is easy to maintain, and has a low cost of use.

7. It reduces the demand for surface water and groundwater.

8. It is a simple and flexible system. The public can be informed about issues such as maintenance and operation.

9. It can be built anywhere, regardless of the terrain, geology, or infrastructure management plans.

10. Water can be delivered directly to households or to closer locations. By preventing transportation from a distant location, time and energy savings are achieved.

11. It reduces surface runoff in urban areas and ensures that surface waters are less polluted by pollutants (fertilizers, pesticides, and sediment) that can be carried by water.

12. It provides additional water supply in case of any disruption in the water distribution network or during drought periods.

Students at Poddar International College, the best B.Sc. college in Jaipur, have demonstrated strong awareness about rainwater harvesting. They have actively contributed by creating numerous innovative working models, showcasing their commitment to sustainable water management and environmental conservation.