Measures for Ensuring Sustainability of Rainwater Harvesting

Urban centers in India are facing an ironical situation with regard to water today. On one hand there is acute water scarcity and on the other, the streets are often flooded during the monsoons, reflecting managerial inefficiency of the Urban Local Bodies to use the surplus water of the rainy season to overcome the deficiency in other seasons.

The shortage of ground water is more pronounced due to urbanization and limited open areas available for recharge of ground water. In some cities ground water extraction has reached very high levels and has brought problems like declining water table, failures of wells/ tube wells and deterioration in ground water quality and quantity. Water is more than often been seen as a cause for social conflicts, protests, demonstrations and road-blockades. In the given situation rainwater harvesting could prove to be a solution for overcoming this scenario.