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Potential of Traditional Water Harvesting Structures to address Water Security challenges

By Subhash Jain, Program Leader

Safe Water Network, New Delhi sjain@safewaternetwork.org

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30.8% Rural household covered by piped water supply

Only 17.9% have treated water

85.5% Population have access

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833 million rural people without

treated water access

66 Million affected by Fluoride &

10 million by Arsenic

large population rely on microbial

contaminated water

~37.7 million people impacted annually

by waterborne diseases

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Limited fact-base for

what works

what doesn’t

and why.

30-60% of rural water

systems are inoperative at

any given time.

Despite the billions spent on water projects…

Hydro-geo-thermo regime

Ground water

- Govern by hydrogeological

condition,

- Quality poses serious

challenges

Viable option?

- local action provides

options to cope with

variability

Weather Variability

Key factors - challenges for improving efficiency

Water demand

Water Supply

Population Growth

Urbanization Industrialization

6

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It is daily chore for women in scarcity areas, who walk miles for hours for water!

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Transported as well……

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Traditionally people have adopted………

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Rain Water Harvesting – a case for water security

• Installed ~ 1022 household and 40 community kunds in 55 villages

• Kunds to provide potable water to ~16,750 villagers

• Design improvements

• Implemented financial product for households

• Introduced quality assurance program

Objective: Develop and implement improved approaches to rainwater harvesting through construction optimization, quality assurance and new funding products for

sustainability and scale-up

Members of household with newly constructed kund

Quality assurance - site visit working on design improvements with partners

Community mobilization and construction

Quality assurance and policy white paper

Quality assurance, health impacts & policy

Microfinance funding product

Engineering & design

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Community Tank Rejuvenation 40 Community tanks refurbished

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• 1022 Tanka (Kund), improved access, benefitting ~16750 providing potable water

• Recovery 68% - reinvested

• Partially meet water needs but solves for water security

Rainwater Harvesting Operations

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• Building Local Capability

142 local masons trained

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Household Water Security

Tanka is key asset at household in desert region for storage of water, people do depend on common sources to refill -

• Water sources to supplement requirement (e.g. tanker delivery, ponds, check dams)

• Consumption (e.g. assess needs - drinking, household, livestock etc)

• Handling of water to maintain quality at home, during transit through good protocols

Tankers and Camel carts for fetching water in bulk for the kunds

Baoris/ Talab (Open Lakes) as an alternate RWH storage system

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Key areas for improving system efficiency - maximize

harvest, improve water purity, and decrease maintenance

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Determine the maximum potential rainwater harvesting

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Options for improving harvesting efficiency

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Expanded catchment areas can provide significant benefit to maximize

storage

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Mainstreaming……

• Government support and Microfinance holds the key for solving the drinking water problem

• Mainstreaming through ongoing schemes like MGNREGA akin to TSC to fund

• Promotion of rain water harvesting as adaptation measures – size optimization (variable factors - rainfall & family size)

• Water security at household requires revival of common water storage structures like Pond, Talab, Naadi etc, which supplements the requirement once water stored in HH Kund exhaust

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Donors

International In-Country

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