Traditional Water Conservation Techniques in India

Water conservation is a practice needed for survival. In India, various techniques are used to save water, which are practical and climate-responsive. From the age of the Indus valley civilization, till today many practices are seen in different parts of India. The traditional practices used for conserving water and even cooling buildings in ancient times. Forts surrounded water bodies for protection from enemies. Indians continue to build structures to catch and store the monsoon rains. Some unique water conservation techniques are still practiced in India and are efficient. These are sometimes better than the presentday water-saving techniques. The paper summarizes the transformation over the years in the construction and advancements of water conservation practices in India. In dry regions, these practices have helped people survive tough times. Keywords: Rain water harvesting, Storage, Tanks, Traditional methods, Water conservation

The planning rain water harvestingintegrated wells in public facilities in the village of Kayu Besi

Continuous and excessive use of groundwater causes a decrease in the water table, as well as drought during the dry season. Land use change causes reduced water infiltration, leading to flooding and inundation during the rainy season. This happened in KayuBesi Village, which is located in PudingBesar District, Bangka Regency. The purpose of this planning is to determine the dimensions of the rain water harvesting pool integrated with infiltration wells in the village office as the center of the village government and the mosque as the center of worship. The method used to calculate the volume of rainwater collected in a rain water harvesting pond is the result of substitution and modification made by Maryono from the relationship between discharge, volume of rainwater, and duration of rain with the relationship between discharge, speed of rainwater, and the cross-sectional area of the gutter pipe. The method used to calculate the depth of the infiltration well is the Sunjoto method. The results of the planning for the KayuBesi Village Office obtained the dimensions of the rain water harvesting pool with a pool length of 5 m, a pool width of 4 m and a pool height of 1.5 m, as well as an infiltration well with a diameter of 1 m and a depth of 2.5 m, while for the KayuBesi Village Mosque obtained the dimensions of the rain water harvesting pond with a pool length of 6 m, a pool width of 5.5 m, and a pool height of 1.6 m, as well as an infiltration well with a diameter of 1 m and a depth of 4.5 m.

Effets des Demi-Lunes Multifonctionnelles sur la Production du Sorgho en Afrique de l’Ouest: Cas de la Région de Tahoua au Niger

La dégradation des sols constitue un problème écologique ayant des conséquences néfastes considérables sur la production alimentaire au Niger et dans la région de Tahoua en particulier. L’objectif de cette étude, conduite à Kalfou dans la région de Tahoua au Niger, est d’évaluer les effets des demi-lunes multifonctionnelles sur la production agricole de sorgho. Ainsi l’essai expérimental, installé sur un terrain initialement encrouté et dénudé pendant deux (2) campagnes agricoles successives, est un bloc randomisé complet composé de trois (3) traitements sur (i) un sol aménagé en zaï (Zaï), (ii) un sol aménagé en demi-lunes conventionnelles (DLC) et (iii) un sol aménagé en demi-lunes multifonctionnelles intégrant à la fois les zaï et les tranchés de reboisement (DLM). Les résultats de l’étude ont montré que la croissance des cultures du sorgho est significativement plus élevée dans les ouvrages de demi-lunes multifonctionnelles que dans les ouvrages de zaï et de demi-lunes conventionnelles. En outre, les ouvrages de demi-lunes multifonctionnelles ont permis de produire 639 et 2159 Kg/ha de grains de sorgho respectivement en première et deuxième campagne. Ce rendement en grains est 3 à 4 fois plus élevé dans les ouvrages de demi-lunes multifonctionnelles que dans les ouvrages de zai et des demi-lunes conventionnelles. Ainsi, l’introduction de ces nouveaux ouvrages de demi-lunes multifonctionnelles, adaptés au contexte de la région sahélienne de Tahoua au Niger, permet d’optimiser l’utilisation des éléments nutritifs et des eaux de ruissellement pour la production agricole, ce qui peut renforcer la résilience de la population dans ladite zone. Toutefois, il serait nécessaire d’évaluer les impacts de ces ouvrages sur la production agricole à long terme tout en intégrant également d’autres cultures. Soil degradation is an ecological problem which has considerable negative consequences on food production in Sahel. The objective of this study, undertaken in Kalfou in the Tahoua region in Niger, was to test the effectiveness of multifunctional half-moons (DLM) for agricultural production of sorghum. The experiment design, installed on soil encrusted two (2) successive cropping seasons of sorghum, was a complete randomized block composed of three (3) treatments in three (3) : i) soil with local practice of zai, ii) soil with conventional half-moons (DLC) and iii) soil with multifunctional half-moons (DLM). Results showed that sorghum crop growth was significantly higher in multifunctional half-moons than in zaï and conventional half-moons structures. Besides,, the multifunctional half-moon structures produced 639 and 2159 kg.ha-1 of sorghum grain at the first and second season respectively. This grain yield was three (3) to four (4) times higher in multifunctional half-moon structures than in zai and conventional half-moon structures. Thus, the introduction of these new multifunctional half-moon structures, adapted to the context of Tahoua region allows optimizing the use of nutrients and runoff water for agricultural production, which can improve people’s resilience in the zone. Nevertheless , it would be necessary to evaluate the impacts of these rain water harvesting technologies on agricultural production in the long-term while also integrating other crops.

Rainwater harvesting for fish farming water requirements in Boyolali Regency, Indonesia

<p>Climate change causes dry and rainy seasons to shift. Hydrology also shows that the number of rainwater changes with the uncertainty of its potential occurrence. In catfish farming and hydroponic farming, ensuring water availability is important for the sustainability of the project. Existing research is about managing rainwater, which can help partially supply water for both projects' benefit. The research location is in Jeron Village, Nogosari District, Boyolali Regency. Boyolali Regency is a 22 % residential area of the total area. It means 570 m³ potential storage. However, the result shows that only 17% of the roof area can collect rainfall for residential houses. In this study's residential case example, 17% of the roof area gives 97.8 m³ / year. The problem is that currently, there is no Rain Water Harvesting (RWH). A system capable of supporting the water supply. Using RWH provides a benefit based on the potential supply. This study highlights the potential benefits of using RWH. This pool yields a profit of up to (Indonesian Rupiah) IDR. 36,643,718 / month or IDR. 439,724.61 / year, with a probability of 80%. It means that in 5 years, it failed once. Moreover, water needs can supply from RWH.</p>

Toward improving household livelihoods using rain water harvesting technologies in Matungulu sub-county, Machakos, Kenya

Better utilization of rainfall through rainwater harvesting can greatly increase agricultural productivity, improve food security and alleviate poverty. Water is the main limiting resource for crop production in arid sub-Saharan Africa. The biggest challenge currently is growing water shortage and dwindling rivers. This has impacted the livelihoods of rural population in arid and semi-arid counties. The introduction of novel rain-water harvesting (RWH) is, however, seeking to mitigate the effects of perennial droughts in arid areas. Successful adoption of such technologies has the potential to alleviate water problems faced by rural households. In Kenya, very little research has been conducted about adoption of water harvesting technologies and their role in curbing water shortages. Therefore, there was a need to interrogate the extent to which adoption of water harvesting technologies has impacted households in Matungulu Sub-County. Focus group discussions, interview with key informants, and structured questionnaires were used to collect data for the study which were then analyzed using SPSS version 22 software. The findings indicated that overall, a composite mean of 4.04 and a standard deviation of 0.699 of the respondents agreed that incentives from the county government significantly promoted water harvesting technologies. This was confirmed by a positively strong and significant correlation between the integration of RHT in the county development agenda and the impact on household livelihoods. A further regression analysis indicated that Integration of RHT had a positive and significant influence on household livelihoods (β= 0.755, t=22.351, p=0.000<0.05). Results of this survey indicate that rainwater technologies are financed mostly by household heads and county government initiatives have not been adequately felt. There is a strong indication from the study that water harvesting technologies had a statistically significant influence on the impact on household livelihoods. To ensure sustainability of rainwater harvesting technologies, the study recommends that Machakos

Penerapan Rain Water Harvesting dalam Menyediakan Air Domestik dan Mengurangi Debit Drainase di Daerah Perkotaan

Lampung merupakan salah satu provinsi di Indonesia yang memiliki curah hujan yang merata dari tahun ke tahun. Namun, hujan yang sangat berpotensi untuk dikembangkan menjadi sumber air baku belum dimanfaatkan dengan optimal oleh masyarakat. Mengingat besarnya curah hujan tahunan di Provinsi Lampung, potensi pemanfaatan air hujan dapat dijadikan alternatif pencarian sumber air baru. Oleh karena itu, penelitian ini dilakukan untuk menyelidiki efektivitas penerapan salah satu cara pemanfaatan air hujan dengan Rain Water Harvesting (Pemanenan air hujan) dalam menyediakan air domestik dan mengurangi debit drainase di daerah perkotaan. Pada pelaksaannya dilakukan simulasi pada setiap kondisi dan kualifikasi. Simulasi ini dilakukan pada setiap luas atap rumah dan setiap klasifikasi tahun hujan, dengan volume tangki 2m³, 4m³, dan 8m³. Simulasi dilakukan untuk menghitung inflow, outflow, storage, volume tampungan terisi, limpasan, dan kebutuhan air yang harus dipenuhi dari sumber lain. Hasil dari penelitian didapatkan nilai Daya Dukung Pemanenan Air Hujan (DDPAH) adalah 5% - 45% dan nilai untuk pengurangan debit drainase yang didapat adalah 40 m3 – 420 m3, dapat disimpulkan bahwa DDPAH dan pengurangan debit drainase berada dalam kategori baik.

Evaluation of Rain Water Harvesting Systems for coping water shortage in the Upper Blue Nile Basin, North West Ethiopia

Background The applicability of rainwater harvesting structure is very poor while the intended purpose is achievable in the Blue Nile basin. Therefore, this research was initiated to evaluate the performance of a rainwater harvesting structure and put possible strategies for dry season challenges. The study carried out for three years in the North West Ethiopia. Methods The data were analyzed using daily water balance model and other performance indicators (number of water day, relative irrigation supply, runoff storage efficiency and marginal rate of return). Results At the inception, it was established that the existing rain water harvesting system performs very low, runoff storage efficiency below 46%, no zero water day above 50%, relative irrigation supply below 27 % and marginal rate of return from 12 to 65%. However the greater the volume of the rain water harvesting structure the higher runoff storage efficiency, higher relative irrigation supply, and lower no water day under different irrigation technique was achieved. Conclusions For attaining household irrigation water demand in the dry season, the user should adopt storage capacity of 630m3 in Nitisol and 361m3 in Vertisol for double cropping and 273 m3 in Rigosol for supplemental irrigation. Hence, applying rainwater harvesting technologies with efficient water management technique enhance the net benefit of the system.