Water harvesting is the deliberate collection and storage of rainwater that runs off on natural or manmade catchment areas. Catchment includes rooftops, compounds, rocky surface or hill slopes or artificially prepared impervious/ semi-pervious land surface. The amount of water harvested depends on the frequency and intensity of rainfall, catchment characteristics, water demands and how much runoff occurs and how quickly or how easy it is for the water to infiltrate through the subsoil and percolate down to recharge the aquifers. Moreover, in urban areas, adequate space for surface storage is not available, water levels are deep enough to accommodate additional rainwater to recharge the aquifers, rooftop and runoff rainwater harvesting is ideal solution to solve the water supply problems.
Technical Description
A rooftop rainwater harvesting system consists the following elements: Collection area,
Conveyance system,
Filtration /treatment
Storage
Usage/ Recharge
The collection area in most cases is the roof of a house or a building. The effective roof area and the material used in constructing the roof influence the efficiency of collection and the water quality. A conveyance system usually consists of gutters or pipes that deliver rainwater falling on the rooftop to cisterns or other storage vessels. Both drainpipes and roof surfaces should be constructed of chemically inert materials such as wood, plastic, aluminum, or fiberglass, in order to avoid adverse effects on water quality. The water ultimately is stored in a storage tank or cistern, which should also be constructed of an inert material. Reinforced concrete, fiberglass, or stainless steel are suitable materials. Storage tanks may be constructed as part of the building, or may be built as a separate unit located some distance away from the building. Advantages
The Essay on The Everglades Water Region People
The decrease in rainfall that the Everglades are projected to suffer would end up causing more problems to the ecosystem than the ones it already has. The Everglades used to be a wetland that occupied twice as much land as the amount of land it occupies now. As people started to expand to this region, they implemented complex water management systems that have affected the region's ecosystem. The ...
1. To meet the ever increasing demand for water. Water harvesting to recharge the groundwater enhances the availability of groundwater at specific place and time and thus assures a continuous and reliable access to groundwater. 2. To reduce the runoff which chokes storm drains and to avoid flooding of roads. 3. To reduce groundwater pollution and to improve the quality of groundwater through dilution when recharged to groundwater thereby providing high quality water, soft and low in minerals. 4. Provides self-sufficiency to your water supply and to supplement domestic water requirement during summer and drought conditions. 5. It reduces the rate of power consumption for pumping of groundwater. For every 1 m rise in water level, there is a saving of 0.4 KWH of electricity. 6. Reduces soil erosion in urban areas
7. The rooftop rainwater harvesting is less expensive, easy to construct, operate and maintain. 8. In saline or coastal areas, rainwater provides good quality water and when recharged to ground water, it reduces salinity and helps in maintaining balance between the fresh-saline water interfaces. 9. In Islands, due to limited extent of fresh water aquifers, rainwater harvesting is the most preferred source of water for domestic use. 10. In desert, where rainfall is low, rainwater harvesting has been providing relief to people.
Pollution refers to the contamination of the environment by harmful and waste materials, which bring about a significant change in the quality of the surrounding atmosphere. Environmental pollution can be classified as air pollution, water pollution, and noise pollution. Water pollution signifies contamination of water bodies, which makes their water unfit for drinking and other purposes. There are basically five primary sources of water pollution―domestic sewage, agricultural runoff, industrial effluents, wastewater from septic tanks, and stormwater runoff
The Essay on Water Pollution 16
Water Pollution People keep on throwing trash and industrial wastes into our clean water. If this continues, the quality of our water will deteriorate, and without it everything dies, including us. Water pollution is destroying our world, but fortunately we can count on special treatments for this kind of problem. What is water pollution? "It is the contamination of water by foreign matter such as ...
Industrial water pollution is caused by the discharge of harmful chemicals and compounds into water, which makes it unsuitable for drinking and other purposes.
The wastes generated in various industrial processes can basically bring about the following changes when they are poured into the water bodies.
✧ Change the pH and color of water
✧ Alter the nutrient content
✧ Change water temperature (thermal pollution)
✧ Increase the amount of minerals and salts in water
✧ Increase the murkiness of water
Industrial water pollution can have far reaching effects on the ecosystem. The water used in various industrial processes comes in contact with toxic chemicals, heavy metals, organic sludge, and even radioactive sludge. So, when such polluted water is thrown into the ocean or other water bodies without any treatment, they become unfit for any human and agricultural use.
The common industrial pollutants responsible for causing water pollution are, sulfur, asbestos, poisonous solvents, polychlorinated biphenyl, lead, mercury, nitrates, phosphates, acids, alkalies, dyes, pesticides, benzene, chlorobenzene, carbon tetrachloride, toluene, and volatile organic chemicals. Chemicals like sulfur is harmful for marine life, while asbestos is known to be a potential carcinogen. Drinking water contaminated with asbestos may increase the risk for benign intestinal polyps
