2011 Spring Research
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
Down To The Last Drop:
Rainwater Harvesting In India
By Jessica Canfield, Assistant Professor,
Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning
ABSTRACT
Only recently has rainwater harvesting begun to gain momentum as a viable, sustainable practice within the United States. However, in India, where economic resources are limited and where the health and survival of the population ultimately depend on rainwater from seasonal monsoons, citizens have been harvesting rain since antiquity. Harvesting is now prevalent at all scales, from rural villages to urban households; citizens use a multitude of techniques to capture and store rainwater and recharge groundwater.
14
1 INTRODUCTION
As a necessary means for survival, rainwater harvesting in India has been practiced for centuries. Attuned to local climatic conditions and functional needs, citizens have developed many regionally specific ways to capture and store rainwater, and recharge groundwater, especially in rural areas. However, partly because of rapid urbanization and the widespread reliance on groundwater from borewells, many traditional rainwater-harvesting systems are no longer used and have fallen into disrepair. Yet in Tamil
Nadu, the first Indian state to mandate universal rainwater harvesting, citizens have not only begun to revive lost traditions but have developed many contemporary strategies to better suit present day urban society.
Though incredibly effective environmentally, contemporary urban practices, however, have yet to fully resonate socially or culturally within modern Indian society. In rural areas, however, rainwater-harvesting systems have transcended mere infrastructure to encompass social and cultural benefits as well.
2 BACKGROUND
Like many cities throughout India, Chennai, faces particularly difficult climatic conditions: flooding during monsoon season and drought during the summer months.
Many citizens of Chennai rely on local open-wells, or deeply dug
RESEARCH
Down To The Last Drop:
Rainwater Harvesting In India
By Jessica Canfield, Assistant Professor,
Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning
ABSTRACT
Only recently has rainwater harvesting begun to gain momentum as a viable, sustainable practice within the United States. However, in India, where economic resources are limited and where the health and survival of the population ultimately depend on rainwater from seasonal monsoons, citizens have been harvesting rain since antiquity. Harvesting is now prevalent at all scales, from rural villages to urban households; citizens use a multitude of techniques to capture and store rainwater and recharge groundwater.
14
1 INTRODUCTION
As a necessary means for survival, rainwater harvesting in India has been practiced for centuries. Attuned to local climatic conditions and functional needs, citizens have developed many regionally specific ways to capture and store rainwater, and recharge groundwater, especially in rural areas. However, partly because of rapid urbanization and the widespread reliance on groundwater from borewells, many traditional rainwater-harvesting systems are no longer used and have fallen into disrepair. Yet in Tamil
Nadu, the first Indian state to mandate universal rainwater harvesting, citizens have not only begun to revive lost traditions but have developed many contemporary strategies to better suit present day urban society.
Though incredibly effective environmentally, contemporary urban practices, however, have yet to fully resonate socially or culturally within modern Indian society. In rural areas, however, rainwater-harvesting systems have transcended mere infrastructure to encompass social and cultural benefits as well.
2 BACKGROUND
Like many cities throughout India, Chennai, faces particularly difficult climatic conditions: flooding during monsoon season and drought during the summer months.
Many citizens of Chennai rely on local open-wells, or deeply dug
References: Hill, Margarita M. “Teaching with Culture in Mind: CrossCultural Learning in Landscape Architecture Education.” Landscape Journal, 2005: 117-124. Nassauer, Joan. “Messy Ecosystems, Orderly Frames.” Landscape Journal 14(2), 1995: 161-170. Raghavan, Dr. Sekhar. Rainwater Harvesting. Power Point, Akash Ganga Rain Centre, 2007. Stavanger, Norway, 2010-2011 Regnier Visiting Chair of Architecture