Water conservation projects and methods adopted in India: Tips to conserve water at home

[ecis2016.org] We examine the water scarcity scenario in India, and discuss water conservation projects and various methods of water conservation adopted in India along with tips that ordinary homeowners can follow to save water

Water scarcity is one of the serious concerns for countries across the world. In 2019, Chennai made international headlines when the civic bodies declared ‘Day Zero’, as the city ran out of water and all the reservoirs dried up. A report by NITI Aayog, a government think-tank, said that if methods for water conservation in India were not adopted, another 20 cities including Bengaluru, Delhi and Hyderabad, would run out of groundwater in the next few years. The only solution to avoid this grim situation, is to adopt universal methods of water conservation, which could be replicated across households. Here is a detailed guide, for you to understand water conservation and what can you do at an individual level.

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Water conservation projects and initiatives in India

The Ministry of Jal Shakti under the Indian government launched the Jal Shakti Abhiyan in 2019. It is a nation-wide water conservation campaign that aims at encouraging citizen participation to promote water conservation at the grassroot level. The project on water conservation was launched in two phases from July 1st 2019 to September 30th 2019 and from October 1st 2019 to November 30th 2019.

On the World Water Day, March 22nd 2021, the government launched the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain’ (JSA:CTR) with the theme ‘Catch the rain, Where it Falls When it Falls’. It covers rural and urban areas of all districts in India, during the pre-monsoon and monsoon period, up to 30th November 2021.

Under the campaign, the government focuses on creation/ maintenance of water conservation and rainwater harvesting structures, renovation of various traditional water bodies tanks, reuse and recharge of bore wells, watershed development and intensive afforestation.

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Jal Sanchay

The Jal Sanchay project was a water conservation initiative that was started in Nalanda district of Bihar. The water conservation project focused on constructing check dams, and desilting and renovating the irrigation system and traditional water bodies. It also involved increasing awareness about traditional water conservation and rainwater harvesting techniques aimed at maintaining the water table levels. The project also carried out with the support from local farmers and through campaigns.

In 2017, the project was selected for a national award for excellence under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (MGNREGP).

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Methods of water conservation

Water conservation projects can be done anywhere and in any kind of structure. Here are different water conservation methods where major savings can be done, without much hassles:

Rainwater harvesting

Rainwater harvesting is a very effective method of conserving natural water and replenishing the groundwater level. In this method of conservation of water, the rain water is collected and allowed to percolate into a deep pit or a reservoir, so that it seeps down and improves the ground water table.

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Water metering

Another efficient way of cutting down water wastage is to install water meters and measure the amount of water that is being used in residential and commercial buildings. The volume of water that is used, is calculated and charged according to the price of water. Always monitor the water bills for unusually high usage. It can help detect any leakage.

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Grey water recycling

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Greywater recycling is a method of saving used and waste water from kitchen sinks, washing machines and showers, which is then recycled for usage in toilets, for watering plants, etc. Unlike rainwater harvesting which relies on rainwater, greywater is surplus in volume. Environmentalists have demonstrated that the usage of this recycling system has reduced almost 70% of domestic water usage.

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Pressure reducing valves

A pressure reducing valve basically controls the amount of pressure in a hydraulic system. These valves ensure a pre-set level of water that is to be used. In this way, downstream components used in the water system last longer and water consumption is also reduced. This is a very efficient solution for water conservation in industrial, residential, commercial and institutional buildings.

Water efficient bathroom accessories

Currently, the market is flooded with water-efficient toilet tanks, taps and shower heads that can cut water consumption by up to 60%. Innovations, such as change in spray patterns in taps and showers and increased pressure for flushing in toilets, are pushing the boundaries of water conservation, without compromising on usage habits.

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Different traditional methods of water conservation in India

Rapid urbanisation and water pollution have been severely impacting the quantity and quality of surface and groundwater in several parts of India. The country’s agricultural system is still largely dependent on rainfall. Given the changing rainfall patterns, the government has been considering the revival of traditional water conservation methods.

Some of them are listed below:

Talab or Bandhi

Talabs or pond are reservoirs to store water for drinking and household consumption. These ponds may be natural or manmade. A reservoir spread over less than five bighas is known as talab whereas a medium-sized lake is known as a bandhi.

Jhalaras

Jhalaras were constructed for regular water supply for community use, religious rites, and royal ceremonies in the past. These are rectangular-shaped stepwells with tiered steps on three or four sides. The subterranean water seepage from a lake or an upstream reservoir gets collected in these stepwells.

Baoli

Baolis were constructed by the ruling class for strategic, civic, or philanthropic purposes. These structures were open to people of all sections of the society. Baolis are stepwells that were beautifully designed with arches and motifs. The place where these baolis were located mainly determined their purposes. For instance, baolis on trade routes were used as resting spots while those located inside villages were for used for utilitarian purposes and social gatherings.

Kund

Kunds were built for the conservation of water and harvesting rainwater for drinking purposes, mainly in Gujarat and Rajasthan. It is basically a catchment area shaped like a saucer, sloping towards the circular underground well at the centre. Modern kunds are built with cement. In earlier days, they were covered in disinfectant lime and ash.

Bawari

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An example of traditional water conservation methods in India, Bawaris are stepwells that formed the earliest water storage networks in Rajasthan. They were uniquely designed to divert the minimum rainfall the region would receive to artificial tanks via canals constructed on hilly terrain in the city outskirts.

Taanka

Taanka is among the traditional types of water conservation systems involving rainwater harvesting technique specific to the Thar desert region in Rajasthan. Taanka is a cylindrical paved underground pit, where rainwater flows from courtyards, rooftops and  artificially prepared catchments.

Nadi

Nadis refer to village ponds where rainwater collects from neighbouring natural catchment areas. As these water bodies get water supply from irregular, torrential rainfall, they would witness quick siltation due to large amounts of sandy sediments deposited regularly.

Bamboo drip irrigation system

Among the different methods of water conservation in India, the system of bamboo drip irrigation has been practiced in northeastern parts of the country. It is an over 200-year-old technique developed by tribal farmers for irrigating terrace fields. In this system, water from perennial springs is transported using bamboo pipes.

Zings

Zings are water harvesting structures found in Ladakh. These are small tanks built to collect the melting glacier water. This one of the easiest water conservation and management methods in such mountainous regions. Water from the glacier is diverted to the tank through a network of guiding channels.

Kuhls

Tapping glacial waters coming from rivers and streams through surface water channels has been one of the oldest ways of water conservation in the hilly terrains of Himachal Pradesh. These channels are known as Kuhls widely used for irrigation of over 30,000 hectares of fields in the region. There are hundreds of Kuhls in the region.

Jackwells

This is one of the oldest water conservation practices in India. Jackwells are small pits used for harvesting rainwater. In earlier times, people in the low-lying regions of the Great Nicobar Islands constructed the structure using bamboo and logs of wood.

Water harvesting structures of Ramtek

One of the traditional save water projects and techniques is the Ramtek model in Maharashtra. The system uses a network of groundwater and surface water bodies where tanks connected by underground and surface canals form a link, from the foothills to the plains. Once water fills the tanks in the hills, it flows to the successive tanks.

What is water conservation?

Simply put, water conservation is the technique of efficiently utilising water and cutting down its wastage or unnecessary usage. Since fresh, clean water is now considered a limited resource, water conservation has become important and imperative.

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Water conservation: Why is it important?

Water conservation is important for several reasons:

1. Water distribution is uneven and therefore, large parts of India remain deficient in rain, as well as groundwater.
2. This unequal distribution across the country, makes most of the population face water scarcity.
3. The requirement of water in urban areas is higher than the availability.
4. Since rainfall in India is highly seasonal, water is required to irrigate crops. Water protects the ecosystem and wildlife.
5. Moreover, conserving water also saves energy. That is, by using smart appliances which are water and energy-efficient, we can reduce water usage and save energy too.

Simple tips for water conservation in kitchen

• Avoid using running water for cleaning vegetables. Instead, soak the vegetables in a bowl of water for some time and wash it later.
• When buying a dishwasher, select one with a ‘light-wash’ option.
• If you have to wash a few vessels by hand, turn off the water while you are not rinsing.
• Reuse the wastewater from RO water purifiers for washing cars or watering your plants. You can also use this water for mopping or pre-rinse laundry.
• Do not drain the leftover water in water bottles. It can be used for watering plants or filling up water bowls for birds.
• Do not defrost frozen foods with running water. You can keep frozen things outside overnight, for defrosting them.
• Switch to water-efficient appliances at home.

Simple tips for water conservation in bathroom

• Install water-efficient showers and taps, to reduce water usage.
• Turn off the water when you brush your teeth or shave.
• About 20 to 40 gallons of water is spent during a four-minute shower. Take shorter showers. You can also install water-saving showerheads and shower timers.
• Frequently check for leakages in the toilet flushing systems. This could be simply done by placing dye tablets or adding drops of food colouring into the tank and if colour appears in the bowl one hour later, your toilet is leaking.
• Install dual flush toilet systems in the house, which have two mechanisms to flush different amounts of water.

FAQs

(With additional inputs from Surbhi Gupta)

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