Changing lives, Championing Sustainability
Mumbai resident Chetan Soorenji shares a simple and effective method to help harvest rainwater and recharge groundwater levels at home.
Rainwater harvesting, done with the aim to recharge groundwater, is critical to addressing India’s water scarcity issues. While several parts of the country are not receiving rainfall, it was only a few months ago that a city like Bengaluru faced a massive water crisis.
The crisis is a wake-up call for all Indian cities, indicating water scarcity and reduction in the ground water levels. On average, as per reports, the groundwater levels have been dropping at an alarming rate, especially in areas like Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi.
While there are government initiatives in place such as ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain’, it is also our responsibility to do our part in recharging the groundwater.
Rainwater harvesting structures, such as recharge wells and percolation pits, effectively recharge groundwater. These structures help capture and direct rainwater into the ground, replenishing aquifers and ensuring a sustainable supply of groundwater. These practices have several benefits and are increasingly being adopted across the country.
However, if you wish to do your bit in recharging groundwater, drainage cells could be a simple and useful solution.
How drainage cells help in harvesting rainwater
In the video below, Chetan Soorenji, the founder of Forest Garden Microfarms India, shows a simple yet effective way to harvest rainwater and recharge groundwater at home.
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Read more >Drainage cells, also known as drainage plates or modules, are components used in rainwater harvesting systems to facilitate efficient water collection, management, and discharge.
Chetan walks around in a garden and shows how the installation works. He explains, “In between your tiled pathway, you can place these drainage cells on a layer of stones. The rainwater percolates through these cells and then eventually recharges the groundwater.”
They create a subsurface water retention and drainage system, allowing excess rainwater to be collected, stored, and gradually released into the soil. This helps in reducing surface runoff and soil erosion. The modular, honeycomb-like plastic cells allow collected rainwater to infiltrate the ground below much quicker.
Would you want to install such an innovative system around your home too?