Introduction
It was very difficult to imagine few decades before that you will require to buy drinking. The use value of water was never undermined, but it’s about time that even its exchange value is given due importance. Fresh water today is a scarce resource, and it is being felt the world over. More than 2000 million people would live under conditions of high water stress by the year 2050, according to the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), which warns water could prove to be a limiting factor for development in a number of regions in the world. About one-fifth of the world’s population lacks access to safe drinking water and with the present consumption patterns; two out of every three persons on the earth would live in water-stressed conditions by 2025. Around one-third of the world population now lives in countries with moderate to high water stress—where water consumption is more than 10% of the renewable fresh water supply, said the GEO (Global Environment Outlook) 2000, the UNEP’s millennium report. Pollution and scarcity of water resources and climate change would be the major emerging issues in the next century, said the report. These issues would be followed by problems of desertification and deforestation, poor governance at the national and global levels, the loss of biodiversity, and population growth, said the report - The Observer of Business and Politics, 12
HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE
The term water harvesting is understood to encompass a wide range of concerns, including rainwater collection with both rooftop and surface runoff catchment, rainwater storage in small tanks and large-scale artificial reservoirs, groundwater recharge, and also protection of water sources against pollution. The objective of water harvesting in India differs between urban and rural areas. In urban areas, emphasis is put on increasing groundwater recharge and managing storm water. On the other hand, in rural areas securing water is more