Traditional Rainwater Harvesting Structures

This book contains detailed information about the traditional rainwater structures. Harvesting rainwater is becoming as a practical adaptation strategy for urban areas that are vulnerable to climate alteration. In the past, rainwater harvesting was more significant than it is today. Studies show that a variety of traditional and age-old rainwater gathering techniques were created or put into use in reaction to earlier climate change incidents. According to history, both floods and droughts were frequent occurrences in ancient India. Perhaps this explains why each region of the nation has its own traditional water gathering practices that are representative of the local physical and cultural diversity. All of these methods can be seen as a concept of harvesting rain whenever and wherever it falls. Water makes up 70.9 % of the Earth's surface, mainly in the form of oceans and seas. Water is found in modest proportions as 1.7 % groundwater, 1.7 % glaciers and ice caps in Antarctica and Greenland, vapour, clouds (ice and liquid water suspended in air), and 0.001% precipitation in the air. Evaporation, transpiration, evapo-transpiration, condensation, precipitation, root absorption, percolation, infiltration, base flow and runoff are processes that water goes through on its way to the sea.

Water harvesting is gaining more and more recognition as the sustainable and resilient alternative to other water supply options. It is economically viable, socially compatible and environmentally friendly. Water harvesting has proven to be a robust solution to overcome or reduce water shortages all over the world. To apply this in a sustainable and effective way, it is important to understand exactly where it can be applied to make full use of its potential. The Handbook of Water Harvesting and Conservation: Case Studies and Application Examples is the most comprehensive, up-to-date and applied casebook on water harvesting and conservation yet published. The editors bring together the many perspectives into a synthesis that is both academically-based and practical in its potential applications. The Handbook of Water Harvesting and Conservation: Case Studies and Application Examples will be an important tool for education, research and technical works in the soil, water and watershed management area, and will be highly useful for drought strategy planning, flood management and adaptation to climate change in all urban, agricultural, forest, rangeland areas.

Water Is Vital To Life Sustenance. But Today The Serious Scarcity And More Seriously The Scarcity Amid Plenty Syndrome Of Drinking Water, Water For Plants And Sanitation, Convert The Situation To A Deep Crisis. Large Scale Abuses Of The Water Resource By The Modern Development Activities And Total Neglect Of The Traditional Water Structures Which Had Been Built For The Purposes Of Water Retention And Efficient Storage Besides Performing A Number Of Environmental Functions Which Ensured Sustainability, Is The Major Factor Responsible For The Serious Problem.The Book Attempt To Trace The Historical Processes Of Water Resourc Development And Initiate A Debate On The Integration Of Traditional System Of Water Harvesting With The Modern Methods. The People S Participation In Their Management Was A Key Factor Of The Success Of Traditional Systems. However, The Prospect Of The Sustainability Of Water Resource Development Is Weakened By De-Emphasizing The Social Absorption Of Irrigation Technology And Over Emphasizing The Engineering Solution To The Problem Of Water Resources.The Book Analyses The Causes Of Negligence And The Consequent Ignorance Of The Traditional Knowledge Of Water Resource Development In India. It Is Also Argued That The Sustainability Of Several Of The Old Systems Manifest That The Traditional Values If Integrated Properly Into The Modern Method Could Solve The Crisis Situation To Great Extent.

Rainwater is the purest form of water on earth and water is a cyclic resource that is continuously cycled in nature and can also be reused for various activities after it is cleaned. Don’t you agree then that harvesting rainwater is something that should be a popular practice? Ancient India was well ahead of time, and civilization as early as Indus Valley already had excellent rainwater harvesting system. But, as we progressed along with the rest of the world, we abandoned our traditional practices; and at present we are trying to reintroduce the ancient conservation techniques and integrate them with the new technology to address our water scarcity. Let’s Save The Rain not only talks about the traditional and modern rainwater harvesting systems, but it is a short introduction to this important water conservation technique. The concept, its uses, and its close relationship with the environment are beautifully elucidated with experiments, DIYs, and math calculations. This book is an easy read that explores the concepts and increase awareness about rainwater harvesting.

« "Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 1' is the first book in a three-volume guide that teaches you how to conceptualize, design, and implement sustainable water-harvesting systems for your home, landscape, and community. The lessons in this volume will enable you to assess your on-site resources, give you a diverse array of strategies to maximize their potential, and empower you with guiding principles to create an integrated, multi-functional water-harvesting plan specific to your site and needs. »--

This Open Access book, building on research initiated by scholars from the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Centre for Global Heritage and Development (CHGD) and ICOMOS Netherlands, presents multidisciplinary research that connects water to heritage. Through twenty-one chapters it explores landscapes, cities, engineering structures and buildings from around the world. It describes how people have actively shaped the course, form and function of water for human settlement and the development of civilizations, establishing socio-economic structures, policies and cultures; a rich world of narratives, laws and practices; and an extensive network of infrastructure, buildings and urban form. The book is organized in five thematic sections that link practices of the past to the design of the present and visions of the future: part I discusses drinking water management; part II addresses water use in agriculture; part III explores water management for land reclamation and defense; part IV examines river and coastal planning; and part V focuses on port cities and waterfront regeneration. Today, the many complex systems of the past are necessarily the basis for new systems that both preserve the past and manage water today: policy makers and designers can work together to recognize and build on the traditional knowledge and skills that old structure embody. This book argues that there is a need for a common agenda and an integrated policy that addresses the preservation, transformation and adaptive reuse of historic water-related structures. Throughout, it imagines how such efforts will help us develop sustainable futures for cities, landscapes and bodies of water.

This book emphasizes the importance of social, economic, and environmental considerations when planning and implementing projects. For rural development workers, it aims to fill the gap in existing literature on the gathering and storage of rainwater.

Dry areas suffer not only from limited rainfall but alsonatural leakage'-90% of rainwater is lost directly or indirectly, and is unavailable for agriculture or domestic use. Water harvesting is a low-cost, easy-to-use, environmentally-friendly way to recover a large part of this lost water. How does water harvesting work? Which sites or areas are