WATER SUPPLY AND

WASTE MANAGEMENT
ASSIGNMENT 6

HARSHIT KUMAR ARORA

2-B
MBSSPA
 1. Explain the Rain water Harvesting (RWH) system and
Why it is required?

What is Rainwater harvesting?

Rainwater harvesting is the simple process or technology used to conserve Rainwater by
collecting, storing, conveying and purifying of Rainwater that runs off from rooftops, parks, roads,
open grounds, etc. for later use.

How to Harvest the Rainwater?

Rainwater harvesting systems consists of the following components:

 Catchment- Used to collect and store the captured Rainwater.

 Conveyance system – It is used to transport the harvested water from the catchment to
the recharge zone.
 Flush- It is used to flush out the first spell of rain.
 Filter – Used for filtering the collected Rainwater and remove pollutants.
 Tanks and the recharge structures: Used to store the filtered water which is ready to use.
The process of rainwater harvesting involves the collection and the storage of rainwater with the
help of artificially designed systems that run off naturally or man-made catchment areas like- the
rooftop, compounds, rock surface, hill slopes, artificially repaired impervious or semi-pervious
land surface.

Several factors play a vital role in the amount of water harvested. Some of these factors are:

 The quantum of runoff

  Features of the catchments
 Impact on the environment
 Availability of the technology
 The capacity of the storage tanks
 Types of the roof, its slope and its materials
 The frequency,  quantity  and the quality of the rainfall
  The speed and ease with which the Rainwater penetrates through the subsoil to
recharge the groundwater.

Why do we Harvest Rainwater?

The rainwater harvesting system is one of the best methods practised and followed to support
the conservation of water. Today, scarcity of good quality water has become a significant cause
of concern. However, Rainwater, which is pure and of good quality, can be used for irrigation,
washing, cleaning, bathing, cooking and also for other livestock requirements.

Advantages of Rainwater Harvesting

The benefits of rainwater harvesting system are listed below.

 Less cost.
 Helps in reducing the water bill.
 Decreases the demand for water.
 Reduces the need for imported water.
 Promotes both water and energy conservation.
 Improves the quality and quantity of groundwater.
 Does not require a filtration system for landscape irrigation.
 This technology is relatively simple, easy to install and operate.
 It reduces soil erosion, stormwater runoff, flooding, and pollution of surface water with
fertilizers, pesticides, metals and other sediments.
 It is an excellent source of water for landscape irrigation with no chemicals and
dissolved salts and free from all minerals.

Disadvantages of Rainwater Harvesting

In addition to the great advantages, the rainwater harvesting system has a few disadvantages
like unpredictable rainfall, unavailability of the proper storage system, etc.

Listed below are few more disadvantages of the rainwater harvesting process.

 Regular Maintenance is required.

 Requires some technical skills for installation.
 Limited and no rainfall can limit the supply of Rainwater.
 If not installed correctly, it may attract mosquitoes and other waterborne diseases.
 One of the significant drawbacks of the rainwater harvesting system is storage limits.
 2. Explain basic components of RWH?
COMPONENTS OF A RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEM

A rainwater harvesting system comprises components of various stages - transporting

rainwater through pipes or drains, filtration, and storage in tanks for reuse or recharge.
The common components of a rainwater harvesting system involved in these stages are
illustrated here.

1. Catchments: The catchment of a water harvesting system is the surface which

directly receives the rainfall and provides water to the system. It can be a paved area
like a terrace or courtyard of a building, or an unpaved area like a lawn or open ground.
A roof made of reinforced cement concrete (RCC), galvanised iron or corrugated sheets
can also be used for water harvesting.

2. Coarse mesh at the roof to prevent the

Source: A water harvesting manual for
passage of debris
urban areas
3. Gutters:

Channels all around the edge of a sloping roof to collect and transport rainwater to the
storage tank. Gutters can be semi-circular or rectangular and could be made using:

 Locally available material such as plain galvanised iron sheet (20 to 22 gauge),
folded to required shapes.
 Semi-circular gutters of PVC material can be readily prepared by cutting those
pipes into two equal semi-circular channels.
 Bamboo or betel trunks cut vertically in half.

The size of the gutter should be according to the flow during the highest intensity
rain. It is advisable to make them 10 to 15 per cent oversize.

Gutters need to be supported so they do not sag or fall off when loaded with
water. The way in which gutters are fixed depends on the construction of the house; it is
possible to fix iron or timber brackets into the walls, but for houses having wider eaves,
some method of attachment to the rafters is necessary.

4. Conduits

Conduits are pipelines or drains that carry rainwater from the catchment or rooftop area
to the harvesting system. Conduits can be of any material like polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
or galvanized iron (GI), materials that are commonly available.
 The following table gives an idea about the diameter of pipe required for draining
out rainwater based on rainfall intensity and roof area:

Sizing of rainwater pipe for roof drainage

Diameter
Of pipe Average rate of rainfall in mm/h
(mm)
  50 75 100 125 150 200
50 13.4 8.9 6.6 5.3 4.4 3.3
65 24.1 16.0 12.0 9.6 8.0 6.0
75 40.8 27.0 20.4 16.3 13.6 10.2
100 85.4 57.0 42.7 34.2 28.5 21.3
125 - - 80.5 64.3 53.5 40.0
150 - - - - 83.6 62.7

5. First-flushing
A first flush device is a valve that ensures that runoff from the first spell of rain is
flushed out and does not enter the system. This needs to be done since the first spell of
rain carries a relatively larger amount of pollutants from the air and catchment surface.

6. Filter
The filter is used to remove suspended pollutants from rainwater collected over roof. A
filter unit is a chamber filled with filtering media such as fibre, coarse sand and gravel
layers to remove debris and dirt from water before it enters the storage tank or recharge
structure. Charcoal can be added for additional filtration.

(i) Charcoal water filter

A simple charcoal filter can be made in a drum or an
earthen pot. The filter is made of gravel, sand and
charcoal, all of which are easily available.

(ii)Sand filters
Sand filters have commonly available sand as filter media. Sand filters are easy and
inexpensive to construct. These filters can be employed for treatment of water to
effectively remove turbidity (suspended particles like silt and clay), colour and
microorganisms.

In a simple sand filter that can be constructed domestically, the top layer
comprises coarse sand followed by a 5-10 mm layer of
gravel followed by another 5-25 cm layer of gravel and boulders.

(ii. a) Dewas filters

Most residents in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, have
wells in their houses. Formerly, all that those
wells would do was extract groundwater. But
then, the district administration of Dewas initiated
a groundwater recharge scheme. The rooftop
water was collected and allowed to pass through
a filter system called the Dewas fillter, designed
by Mohan Rao , district collecter of Dewas, and
engineers of the rural engineering services. The
water thus filtered is put into the service tubewell.

The filter consists of a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe 140 mm in diameter and 1.2m
long. There are three chambers. The first purification chamber has pebbles varying
between 2-6 mm, the second chamber has slightly larger pebbles, between 6 and 12
mm and the third chamber has the largest - 12-20 mm pebbles. There is a mesh at the
outflow side through which clean water flows out after passing through the three
chambers. The cost of this filter unit is Rs 600.

3. What are water sources to collect Rain water?

Below mentioned are the different types of rainwater harvesting systems:

1. Water Butt
One of the most basic types of rainwater harvesting systems; water Butt collects
rainwater in a container from natural rainfall and/or drain pipes. The collected
water is used mainly for watering the garden.

2. Direct-Pumped
Another very common and professional type of rainwater harvesting.

 Submersible – Used particularly in domestic settings and is the

easiest systems to install. The pump is placed within the underground
tank and the harvested water is pumped directly to WCs or other
appliances used daily for domestic purposes.
  Suction – In this system, the pump is located within the control unit of
the house (e.g. utility room). This unit also deals with backup from the
mains water supply, hence there is no need to direct mains water
down to the underground tank.
Most rainwater harvesting systems need pumps to transfer the collected
rainwater from storage tanks to the point of use. Submersible pumps are
generally more efficient than suction pumps and do not suffer from the same
limitations.

3. Indirect Pumped
This type of rainwater harvesting system doesn’t rely on gravity to supply water
to the outlets. Instead, it pumps the harvested water to a tank which can be at
any level in the building. Furthermore, a booster pump is used to provide a
pressurized water supply. One of the most significant benefits of this system is
that it offers great flexibility to tailor the booster pumps to adjust the flow and
pressure requirements of a building.

4. Indirect Gravity
This system ensures water is supplied to the outlets by gravity alone. For this,
the harvested water is first pumped to the header tank, i.e. high-level tank and
then allowed to free-flow. In Indirect gravity systems, the pump works only to fill
the header tank.

5. Gravity Only
In few conditions, a system which functions purely through gravity may be
needed. Such systems do not demand pumps hence involves no energy use.
With such an arrangement, water can be collected only when collection tanks
are located below the level of gutters, yet higher than the outlets which it will
supply. Here the only power of gravity is needed to feed collected and harvested
water to various parts of the household. Gravity only is one of the most energy-
efficient rainwater harvesting systems.

6. Retention Ponds
Retention ponds are used to collect surface runoff water and improve the
quality of water by natural processes like sedimentation, decomposition, solar
disinfection, and soil filtration. This type of pond normally has a mud bottom,
but in some cases, it may be lined with concrete. The most common use of water
collected and harvested by pond harvesting is watering livestock, however, it can
also be used for groundwater recharge, irrigation or any other purpose other
than potable uses.

7. In-Ground Storage
Underground storage tanks are very popular in areas where the majority of
rainfall occurs in one single season. These underground tanks are insulated and
have a very low rate of evaporation. In addition, the water stored in these
doesn’t freeze if it is buried below the frost line, this is a huge advantage that
surface storage tanks do not offer. Underground tanks need to be connected to
an electric pump to ensure supply of the stored water to the outlets.

4. Write short notes on the following –

 Run-off
When rain falls onto the earth, it just doesn't sit there, it starts moving according to the
laws of gravity. A portion of the precipitation seeps into the ground to replenish Earth's
groundwater. Most of it flows downhill as runoff. Runoff is extremely important in that
not only does it keep rivers and lakes full of water, but it also changes the landscape by
the action of erosion. Flowing water has tremendous power—it can move boulders and
carve out canyons; check out the Grand Canyon!
Runoff of course occurs during storms, and much more water flows in rivers (and as
runoff) during storms. 

 Run-off Coefficient
Runoff coefficient is a dimensionless factor that is used to convert the rainfall
amounts to runoff. It represents the integrated effect of catchment losses and
hence depends upon the nature of land surface, slope, degree of saturation,
and rainfall intensity. It is also affected by the proximity to water table, degree
of soil compaction, porosity of soil, vegetation, and depression storage. 
 5. List factors:
Affecting the Quantity of Storm water?

Factors Affecting The Quantity Of Storm Sewage

The quantity of storm sewage (i.e. stormwater) is mainly affected by the
following factors: 

l) Shape And Size of The Catchment Ares

Stormwater(runoff )will be more for the large and fan-shaped catchment area.
On the other hand, the runoff will be less for small and ferm shaped catchment
area.

2) Topography
Stormwater increases with the increase in the ground slope of the catchment
area and vice versa. 

3) Character of The Catchment Area

If the surface of the catchment area is rocky or compact clayey type,
stormwater will be more. Again, if the surface of the catchment area is sandy,
the stormwater will be low. 

4) The direction of the prevailing storm

If the direction of the storm is same as the direction of movement of water, the
stormwater will be more and vice versa. 

5) Type of Precipitation
If the precipitation occurs in the form of rain, it will produce stormwater
immediately. On the other hand, if the precipitation occurs in the form of
snow, it will produce stormwater at a slow rate.

6) Rainfall Distribution
The stormwater from a basin is very much dependent upon the rainfall
distribution. 

7) Intensity and Duration of Rainfall

The stormwater increases with the increase in the intensity of rainfall and vice
versa. If the duration of rainfall is more, the stormwater will also be
prolonged. 

8) Soil moisture Deficiency

The runoff depends upon the soil moisture present at the time of the rainfall.
If rain occurs after a long dry period, the soil will absorb huge amounts of
water and thus runoff will be less. But the runoff will be more if rain occurs
after a long rainy season. 

9) Climatic Condition
If the temperature in the catchment area is high, the evaporation loss will be
more and hence the stormwater will be less and vice versa. 

10) Geological Condition of The Catchment

If the catchment area consists of fissures, cracks etc, the water losses will be
more and the stormwater will be low.

11) Vegetative Cover

The presence of a dense vegetative cover over soil increases the infiltration and
there by reduces the stormwater.