Rainwater harvesting is the method for the collection of rainwater in order to avoid the water crisis and scarcity. It can be easily done in houses, public and private buildings. Due to the distillation procedure, the falling rain gives us clean and natural water. Apart from this, the rainwater still will flow into lakes, rivers, etc.

The objectives are to decrease the run- off, as it will block the drain, avoid flooding of water on the roads, and satisfy the needs of the growing population. In addition to that, it increases the chances for the underground water level and thereby reducing the water pollution.

Rainwater can be collected from rooftops, foothills as it provides good quality of water without any chemicals dissolved in it.

Rainwater can be stored in tanks, reservoirs, building pits, dug wells so that groundwater will be recharged.

The methods for rainwater harvesting are as follows:

1.    Surface runoff Harvesting: We can use this type of harvesting in towns and cities so that we can store water for future use.

2.    Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting: Rainwater is stored in tanks at the place where it falls. There are various components used in this type of rainwater harvesting. They are as follows:

1.    Catchment: It can be a terrace or open ground area. It is the surface, which takes the rainwater.

2.    Transportation: Pipes are used for transporting the rainwater from the catchment to the harvesting area.

3.    First flush: This is used to flush the water at the outlet of the transportation pipes.

4.    Filter: The dust particles and contamination are removed from the rainwater using filters and then they are stored in tanks.

Rooftop harvested rainwater can be used in different methods and some of them are as follows:

• The storage can be used directly.
• The stored water can be used to recharge the ground water.

Advantages of Rainwater Harvesting:

The rainwater harvesting is very beneficial and some of the advantages of it are:

It has low maintenance cost and simple to build. 

It is affordable.

There will be a decrease in water scarcity and demand.

As the method is used for collecting rainwater within the house, it is available for domestic uses.

Photo source: Indiamart

Rainwater harvesting is a very good option to conserve water and use it for irrigation and domestic. As the population increases, the demand for water also increases and rainwater harvesting is the best way to overcome the water crisis. It can be used in large buildings and in public buildings also.

The model is simple to build and install. This method can be used in developing countries to overcome the water scarcity. By installation of a filter in the model, the water collected will be clean and potable. The collected water from this method is the purest form of water when compared to other water sources. Water sources are contaminated by wastes coming out from the industries. As these wastes are discharged into rivers and lakes, people use the drinking water for other purposes such as cleaning and bathing. People need not travel to far off distances in search of water, as rainwater harvesting will be beneficial to the overall health and growth of the communities.