Water Awareness Session with Dr. Kiran Bedi

Rainwater harvesting has been adopted by many countries as a viable means to save water. With the increasing population and dependence on water, it becomes pertinent for institutions and even households to start investing in rainwater harvesting systems (RWH). The cost will vary depending upon the catchment area, conveyance, and storage & recharge structure proposed. As per norms, you need to store or recharge a capacity of 20 liters for every sq meter of roof area Approximate cost for installing Rainwater harvesting structures varies from Rs.20,000/- to 4,00,000. GuruJal has been taking proactive steps towards installing Rainwater Harvesting Systems.

For more details visit. https://gurujal.org/rainwater-harvesting/

Best ways to save water at Individual level (Flats) – 

1. RO Water: Water that is being rejected from RO is75% of the intake water. It means RO Rejects 3 litres of water for every 1 litre of Purified water. If we can tap this rejected RO Water and use it for Washing Cars, Cleaning floors, washing dishes, Gardening, etc can make a difference in your Water Consumption.
2. Aerators: Use of Aerators in taps is one of the efficient ways to save water. As per estimates Aerators can save 1200 litres of water per month.
3. Rainwater Harvesting Systems: Rainwater harvesting structures will serve as the need for the hour and it is mandatory to have a Rainwater harvesting structure at your Locality/ home
4. Never leave a TAP running & fix the leakages at home. During washing hands if the tap is left open for 2 Min, it wastes 18 litres of water which equals 0.9 buckets (Bucket capacity -20 lit) of water.
5. While brushing teeth if you don’t close the tap for 6 min running taps it is approximately 46 litres of water wasted which equals 2.26 Buckets (Bucket Capacity- 20 lit) of water.
6. Do your own water audit to understand your daily consumption. Below mentioned is a suggestive comparative chart for water consumption in a best case, moderate case, and worst-case scenario for their reference.
   

Little Changes can make a big difference. We can save water at an individual level by using it more efficiently and consciously. Can also refer to

http://old.cwc.gov.in/main/downloads/DraftGuideline_Water_Audit.pdf

There are many ways to recharge Groundwater at home. One should choose their ways of recharging wisely which has minimal losses.

1. First and foremost thing is to have a Rainwater harvesting structure at your home
2. Natural groundwater recharge occurs as precipitation falls on the land surface, infiltrates into soils, and moves through pore spaces down to the water table. Make sure that you have Green spaces in your home. Green spaces contribute to more absorption of water and less Run off
3. Having Rainwater storage tanks and conversion of bore wells to Recharge pits and having Infiltration tanks etc.

For more Knowledge about suitable rainwater harvesting structures visit

https://gurujal.org/rainwater-harvesting/

Contact: communications@gurujal.org.in

You can also refer to
http://cgwb.gov.in/documents/ArtificialRecharge-Guide.pdf

District Administration Gurugram through the GuruJal initiative has been intensively working in the field of Water conservation and Management in the district. For more details visit https://gurujal.org/about/

As directed by Hon’ble Prime Minister, In Gurugram Catch the Rain campaign has been started; all the citizens of Gurugram can be part of it and work with the Government through GuruJal. Similarly,

This can be showcased as the best practice and can be implemented in another district as pilots

Feel free to share with us on communication@gurujal.org with a cc to dcgrg@hry.nic.in in case you need more support from certain officers with clear details after having tried 2-3 times yourself at least. We will then pursue the matter internally and update you on this.

Inclusive and Good Governance plays a major role in water management and conservation. In Gurugram, GuruJal Society was formulated by the District Administration Gurugram in May 2019; to ensure better water management in the district. Its mission is to collaborate with 24+ government departments to ensure water conservation and efficient water management in Gurugram, work committedly and make citizens of Gurugram water conscious and mobilize them towards sustainability.

Our focus is to work on improving the compliances of schemes and policies supporting water conservation, following up on the better enforcement of rules and regulations to mitigate water exploitation, extensive campaigning to sensitize people, come up with better design solutions for the current standing issues and work towards making a better policy framework for water management.

Keeping the gaps and urgency of the issue in mind, a composite water management approach and hence the project GuruJal was envisioned with the objective of “addressing the problems of groundwater depletion, water scarcity, flooding i.e. water mismanagement in Gurugram District of Haryana” by avoiding the duplicity in efforts, enabling better collaboration and having holistic systems thinking approach. Objectives of GuruJal are

Wastewater generated can be managed at Source and at disposal, some of the ways may include 

1.  Ensuring there are two separate lines for black water and storm water, both should not be the same and grey water should never be discharged in the storm water drains.
2. All the wastewater which is generated from the houses in villages can be treated and then will be diverted to ponds. For this purpose, A wastewater Treatment plant has to be set up near the pond in the village of suitable capacity & technology. For more details kindly visit https://gurujal.org/support-a-pond/
3. Too much water can overload your system. Ensure all household plumbing fixtures are maintained to prevent water leakage. Septic tanks should be installed so that Sewage is treated when using a septic field through the movement of the sewage through the soil. Once it moves through the soil the effluent is safe to enter the groundwater.
4. By Developing composting facilities Grey water can be treated at Source.

To remove encroachment, approach the local governing or administrative bodies and bring this into their notice and make sure that your pond is declared as Gair Mumkin Talab in Revenue Records. Reach out to the respective Tehsildar of your area and cc the copy of the letter to us on communication@gurujal.org with a cc to dcgrg@hry.nic.in in case you need more support from certain officers with clear details after having tried 2-3 times yourself at least

The protection of ponds, along with appropriate management and creation of ponds is incredibly important. One of the key parts of this is the appropriate buffering of the ponds to protect them from run-off and pollutants.

1. In Bundelkhand Region when compared to other Rainwater harvesting structures it was proven that ponds are an efficient way of harvesting Rainwater, moreover, the ground water resources in Bundelkhand are meagre because hard rock’s like granite and gneiss do not allow water to percolate through the ground. On the other hand, the quartz reef that traverses through the undulating terrain of Bundelkhand provides sites where ponds can be formed. Site Selection for ponds plays an inevitable role here.
2. Growing more trees around the periphery of the pond and lining the side slope of the pond helps in minimizing the losses.
3. Creation of Biodiversity around the pond which keeps the ecosystems alive and rich
4. To Make water available in all the seasons people can set up a wastewater treatment plant by diverting the wastewater from nearby households so that there is no chance for drying of the ponds and water in the ponds will be available in all seasons.
5. Water plants that live on the surface, such as water lilies that provide the large lily pads, can help reduce water reduction from evaporation

Urban flooding occurs when water flows into an urban region faster than it can be absorbed into the soil or moved to and stored in a lake or reservoir. For solving this issue Government along with the public should focus on the following points by planning for water sensitive Urban Design

1. Drainage master plans should be prepared for cities with short-, medium-, long-term and periodic strategies to augment storm water infrastructure in cities. This must be supported by urban watershed modelling. We need to Identify vulnerable and high-risk areas for water logging  and prepare monsoon action plans for those areas accordingly
2. List out all the Possible potential  natural resources  which can prevent flooding like Check dams, harvesting systems, Dense plantations, etc
3. As the Citizens all the water logging areas are to be reported to the government for more effective monitoring
4. Create Rooftop Gardens that help to mitigate Rainwater by absorbing it
5. Separate lines for Storm water and wastewater
6. Maintenance of Sewer systems on a regular basis
7. Shifting towards Non concrete surfaces and Pavements which help in better percolation Runoff.
8. Illegal encroachments should be demolished

Yes, this is possible for Governments to give subsidies in installing a Rainwater harvesting system. This should be recognized as our Present Policy gap in Haryana and some other states which should be addressed. It is already being implemented in some of the states in India like Delhi, Tamil Nadu, etc.

In Delhi, Delhi Jal Board provides financial assistance of 50% of the cost of the Rain water harvesting structure with a maximum amount of up to Rs. 50,0000/- for the installation of a Rainwater harvesting system. For Future Reference

http://delhijalboard.nic.in/sites/default/files/Circular_10.07.2020.pdf

India is a country with diverse geography throughout the region. Some areas are affected by floods and some by droughts and each has to be solved in its own ways. It is not possible to supply the same amount of water for all the states throughout the country but it is possible with the region of the same geography. Here wherein allocation of water depending on the consumption plays a vital role and it is different for different sectors.

1. Water meters should be installed in all the household for effective monitoring of water Consumption and also acts as a stepping stone to self-realization to conserve water.
   
   
2. Water is a state subject and Water policy should be amended by adding components like Water metering, Water pricing, and water rationing so that there is a check on the amount of water being used and the amount of water that is in demand.