Taping Rainwater on Himalayan Mountains of Uttarkhand
A collaborative effort of KSCST, Govt. of Uttarkhand, UNDP and Swiss
Agency for Development and Cooperation
Place name is Pheri
village, Pheri - Kimora Gram Panchayat, Jaunpur Block, Tehri Garhwal district
in Uttarkhand, Northern India at an
altitude of 2000 meters, closest town Mussoorie.
September 20th marked a day to
introduce Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) in the region and build skills among the
local youth.
A cost effective, rugged and sustainable model of RWH was demonstrated
and built at one location and for subsequent replication in 10 houses : Himalayan hilly terrain |
The house is on the first floor and the ground floor is the cattle shed to keep the house warm during winter. The building roof, which is inclined on both sides is made of corrugated sheet metal (40 ft long and 18 ft wide).
House for RWH |
Galvanised colour coated steel sheet gutters (nala)
First Flush Lock (FFL) and diverter drum mounted on the floor receives the roof water at its inlet.
First Flush Lock (FFL) and diverter drum Sand or small aggregates
A sand bed filter (aluminium perforated bowl filled with sand or small aggregates) placed at the mouth of the manhole of the HDPE tank is used for final polishing of rainwater. The filtered water from the sand bed is allowed to flow in to the tank. Round platform is built using local stones and cement to an height of 18 inches at the ground level beside the house for placing the HDPE tank of 2000 liters capacity.
The filtered rain water is stored in the HDPE tank in the absence of light. The tap at the bottom of the HDPE tank can be used to collect clean rainwater which can be used for domestic needs. The roof of around 720 sqft / 67 sqm can provide around 1,00,000 liters of clean rainwater per year. The tank of 2000 liters will get filled in a day of just 30mm or little more than one inch rainfall.
Sharing the experience
of rainwater harvesting and building water security among the most HUMBLE LOCAL
COMMUNITY, was a truly joyous experience.
Tehri Garhwal is one of the Himalayan hilly terrain district of Uttarkhand state of India. The economy is mainly
agrarian, despite most of the land being unfit for cultivation owing to the
precipitous and rocky slopes. The region has many power projects and enjoys
almost uninterrupted electricity. Winding roads are in poor condition owing to
the frequent landslides.
The region is in the foothills of
the Garhwal Himalayan range.
Being at an average altitude of 2000 metres, Tehri Garhwal, with its green
hills and varied flora and fauna, is a fascinating
hill range. Commanding snow ranges to the northeast and glittering views of
the Doon Valley and Shiwalik ranges
in the south, the nearest town Mussoorie was once said to present a 'fairyland'
atmosphere to tourists.
The
story of 'Pheri'
The
region has an annual rainfall of around 2000mm and the river Aglad (tributary
of Tons which is the tributary of Yamuna) flows at the bottom of the valley .
Several kilometres uphill, villages with scattered houses are dependent on
springs and streams for daily water needs. Steep slope drain off rainwater
quickly and water reaches the bottom of the hill to join the river Aglad.
Villagers (mostly woman) trek few kilometres to collect water and carry water
on their back climbing the steep slippery winding walk paths through thick
woods. My mobile camera could capture waterfalls and the flowing river, but are
not of reach by villagers (mirage). Few rich among them hire daily labour to haul
water. It is common for grownup boys to leave the village and move down hill to
towns (Dehradun) because of water scarcity. Tourist across the country and even
from outside India reach here for adventure trekking in Himalayan hills and
water sports in Tons river, just few kilometres uphill, people decamp their
villages because of non availability of WATER.
'Harvest
Rainwater and a Host of Benefits'
Thank
you KSCST, Govt of Uttarkhand, UNDP, Swiss
Agency for Development and Cooperation - Rashmi Bajaj, Subrato Paul, Waseem
Yousf, Shreyansh, Neeraj Kumar Sharma, and more so for the PEOPLE of Pheri Kimora.