The Significance of Rainwater Harvesting and Its Advantages

Water is an essential resource that all living things like plants, animals, and human beings require to live

and carry out different activities. There is no life without water! Such a precious resource is water, and

we need to use it wisely for survival on the earth. We, human beings, use water for different daily life

activities like bathing, cleaning, washing, cooking, and other domestic, agrarian, and industrial uses

besides drinking. While there is a rapid increase in population growth, the need for water has increased

in the modernizing world. We are all heading toward the scarcity of water due to the groundwater

exploitation, pollution of water bodies, and the lack of water conservation. To save mankind and the

ecosystem, water conservation is essential for our further use and future generation. Here comes the

rainwater harvesting system that plays a vital role in conserving water and make it available for later

use. 

What is Rainwater Harvesting?

There are different water conservation methods available to save water, and the rainwater harvesting

system is one of the most popular ones that we practice today. 

The process of accumulating and storing rainwater for various domestic and commercial uses is defined

as rainwater harvesting. Instead of allowing the rainwater to run off from rooftops, hill slopes, open

grounds, parks, roads, etc., it is collected, stored, and purified for later uses. Rainwater harvesting is a

must in residential and commercial construction these days due to the country's ever-growing domestic

and industrial sectors.

How is it done?

The rainwater harvesting technique involves the collection of rainwater and storage and filtration with

the help of the artificially designed system. The components used in the rainwater harvesting system

include 

•  Catchment- Used to collect rainwater and store it
•  Conveyance System- The harvested water is transported from the catchment to recharge area
•  Flush- This section helps to flush out the first spell of rain 
•  Filter- The collected rainwater is filtered and pollutants are removed
•  Recharge Structures & Tanks- The filtered water is stored and make it ready to use 

Rainwater Harvesting Techniques

Rainwater harvesting involves two major techniques:

Surface runoff harvesting: This is the method of collecting, accumulating, purifying and storing

rainwater that flows away as runoff on surfaces like roads, parks, gardens, catchment areas, and other

man-made surfaces. The stored rainwater is treated and made available for reuse. This rainwater

harvesting technique is mostly used and suitable in urban areas. 

Groundwater recharge: This is an artificial recharge technique in which a recharge pit allows the filtered

rainwater to replenish groundwater by recharging the underground aquifers. It is usually done to

recharge a borewell or help water infiltration in an area. This is mostly used in rural areas.

Advantages of Rainwater Harvesting

The implementation of rainwater harvesting is beneficial in many ways, as listed below. 

• The foremost thing is it helps decrease the demand for water and reduces the need for
• imported water
•  Promotes water conservation and benefits the ecosystem
•  Less of costs and helps in reducing water bills
• Reduces flooding, soil erosion, and stormwater runoff
• Improve good quality groundwater recharge 
• Excellent source for everyday water usage- residential, industrial and agrarian
• The technique is simple, easy to install and operate

Last Words

With depleting groundwater levels, the rainwater harvesting system plays a vital role in addressing the

problem of water scarcity globally. This is the most sustainable and efficient means of water

conservation and management with numerous benefits. It is more crucial in the construction industry to

be easily practiced in building apartments, individual homes/villas, parks, industries, offices, and other

commercial spaces worldwide. Each drop of water counts, so let’s begin the change at home. 

Contact us for more information regarding the construction of a rainwater system.