Talk:Rainwater harvesting

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[edit] In Western countries?

"Rainwater harvesting is the collection of water from roofs or from a surface catchment. This is appropriate in some parts of the world, such as western Britain and India, where there is plenty of rain and where conventional water resources are at risk of being over used to supply the large population. Rainwater harvesting can reduce the consumer's water bills and can reduce the need to build reservoirs, which can take up lots of scarce space."

I'm not happy with the information in this paragraph. Yes I guess the last few sentences are true but for a technique that is primarily meant as a means to provide some of the most desperate people in the world with an adeque means of water, it's quite unebelivable that western Britain.. ? is mentioned along with consumer... water bills, resevoirs and scarce space.

I'm sorry to sound annoyed, it's just I expect if you do a quick search on the net you will find that most of the places where this form of civil engineering is being applied are developing countries where there is no other means.

Rainwater harvesting is the favoured means of water collection when no form of spring OR source of groundwater is available. This is an important aspect that needs to be mentioned but I believe should not be mentioned unless it's back up with some sort of source.

Cisterns also used to be at least somewhat prevalent in the United States. I know several people with homes from around the 1940s that have a cistern in the basement to collect rainwater from the house's downspouts (including my residence). All have been disconnected. My state of Wisconsin is not known for its rainfall. --Royalbroil 20:40, 7 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Stockholm Water Prize

i just saw that cse - a strong RWH proponent - got the Stockholm Water Prize 2005. http://www.siwi.org/press/presrel_05_SWP_Ceremony_Eng.htm Benkeboy 16:18, 23 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Rainwater harvesting now compulsory in cities in Himachal Pradesh

I just came across this report.

INDIA: Himachal Pradesh makes rainwater harvesting in cities compulsory

The Himachal Government is following the example of Karnataka, New Delhi and Chennai making a rainwater-harvesting structure compulsory in all new buildings within the municipal council limits to check the wastage of water. Mr Kartar Jaiswal, Executive Officer, Local Municipal Council, issued a public notice saying that while constructing buildings 20 litres per square metre rooftop area need to be included for rainwater harvesting. If this is not the case, permission to build will be rejected.

Web site: Rainwaterharvesting.org -Legislation on Rainwater Harvesting

--Singkong2005 a.k.a. Chriswaterguy 16:25, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Methods

the section on ´´methods´´ should be expanded to include the ways in which the harvesting and dsitribution is done via roofs, johads, viaducts etc Benkeboy 15:51, 23 March 2006 (UTC)

I'm very interested in low-cost storage methods. I was told about a project in Nepal, where adobe or mudbrick was used to construct tanks. About 10% of the water was lost through the walls, but this had the benefit of wetting the soil and providing a place for food plants to grow (maybe fruit trees). --Singkong2005 ‘‘a.k.a. Chriswaterguy’’15:25, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] India

Interesting info on harvesting methods from a radio program, Thirsty Communities - Harvesting the Rains in Rajasthan:

"the structures that harvest rain in India this way go by different names. There are talabs, beris, tankas, nadis, and many more, made out of brick, dung, earth - or today - concrete, all were designed to suit different locations and terrains."

"here in the Thar desert we’ve come up to one of the many types of water harvesting devices in this region. This is actually quite an old one, it was built about 50 or 60 years ago by the local community here. And in effect, it’s a large dug out depression in the earth. It’s probably a couple of hundred metres in diameter. The idea is that it captures the rain, and people can walk down the stairs that are just to one side and take water from this, which effectively looks like a big pond."

"as well as providing drinking water it’s allowing them to grow trees and a fruit orchard on their parched lands."

The program describes a taanka which harvests rainwater, with an artificial catchment constructed by the people. It's a "big round structure raised up above the ground, but dug deep cylindrically into the depths of the earth, and the catchment is sort of a raised earth around it." Wells for India have adapted this traditional method:

• adding silt catchers (a "little depression on the side" - I guess this means the rain has to collect in a shallow depression and run over into the storage, so that silt collects in the depression); and
• paving the surface to increase runoff.

Links to various sites, and organizations such as Wells for India are given at the end of the page[1]. --Singkong2005 ‘‘a.k.a. Chriswaterguy’’15:25, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Does storage info belong in this article?

Or should the article just link to Water tank?

Once that is decided, Rainwater tank should be made either a redirect or a disambig page. --Singkong2005 ‘‘a.k.a. Chriswaterguy’’^{(t - c - WPID)} 04:58, 21 June 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure if it should. Rainwater tanks can be quite different in construction from regular tanks, mainly because one looks for the most cost effective solution in the developing world, which may involve constructing the sides out of clay and digging the tank into the ground.

My concern is say this were used for a course at wikiversity, those needing to know about tanks used for harvesting rainwater do not need to know about water tanks in general. JHJPDJKDKHI! 20:26, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Methods and Calcs

I'm going to try to get around to expanding the section on 'systems' because IMHO it's sorely deficient now. Additios on calcs (x inches / 1000sq = x litres) is easily researched and mandatory when considering a catchment system. Useful materials for construction would be useful as well. I realize most of this sort of info (and more) is likely obtainable by following some of the external links at the bottom of the page, but as I'm understanding this to be an intended self-sufficient article (rather than a direction to outside resources) there's still *lots* to be added to the page regarding the practicalities of building a catchment system --—Preceding unsigned comment added by Dirtyharry2 (talk • contribs) 13 September 2006

Good, but see comment below, re putting "how-to" info at Appropedia. --Chriswaterguy talk 02:39, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] latest additions

Cheers for the additions. There are alot of references there. JHJPDJKDKHI! 01:35, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

A lot of good stuff there. However, I'm concerned that it's looking a bit like a how-to, and some of it might get deleted due to the WP:NOT policy:

Wikipedia articles should not include instructions or advice (legal, medical, or otherwise), suggestions, or contain "how-to"s. This includes tutorials, walk-throughs, instruction manuals, video game guides, and recipes.

The idea is that how-tos can go elsewhere, which is fair enough, e.g. Wikibooks or Appropedia. I believe Appropedia: Rainwater harvesting is the best place (disclosure: [[Appropedia: User:Chriswaterguy|I’m an Appropedia admin).

Anyway, deciding which bits are okay to stay here and which should get transwikied to Appropedia looks like a fairly subtle task which will take a bit of work. --Chriswaterguy talk 02:39, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] In England

I added a line about the use of water butts for the collection of rain. This is becoming more popular with the prevelance of hose-pipe bans. Probably it's true outside of England too - but I don't have any sources... My new-build house comes with a water butt included in the deal... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.34.222.220 (talk) 10:57, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Picture added

I added a schematic picture (

A domestic rainwater harvesting system

) Please do not remove as it provides extra info with the article.

Thanks

KVDP (talk) 06:18, 8 May 2008 (UTC)

I suggest you fix the white point so that the background is flat white. That will make the diagrams look a lot more professional. --69.236.77.222 (talk) 22:57, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Merge Rainwater tank and Rainwater harvesting?

I am suggesting a merge of these two articles, you can't have one with out the other. The article Rainwater tank is contains a lot about the how (Rainwater harvesting) and the how contains a lot about the with (Rainwater tank). Jeepday (talk) 00:58, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

They're both reasonably long articles about well defined areas. Rainwater harvesting does not require rainwater tanks (other reservoirs are also used), and rainwater tanks are only one part of harvesting. Why the need to merge the articles? There is some overlap, but it's acceptable. —Pengo 04:43, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

Doesn't make sense to me, why merge an activity with a device used to do it, it would be like merging digging with shovel --UltraMagnus (talk) 21:10, 18 July 2008 (UTC)

I too support the merging of these two articles.- Shouvik Ganguly

you have not even written the meanig of rain water harvesting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.162.121.52 (talk) 11:09, 20 August 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Pictures

The pictures on top of the article arent really good. The stepwell can remain, but I suggest changing the johad to a picture of a rooftop rainwater harvesting system. The johad can be placed in the section with groundwater recharge.