The summer has been harsh and unforgiving. Burning sunshine has radiantly rained down upon the head of every person without compunction or mercy, and the ambient temperatures have soared to heights not reached since the times of the British Raj.
Heatstroke, sunburn and dehydration rein rampant as our nation has been simultaneously hit by the looming spectre of hot weather: drought, which has affected more than 330 million people according to estimates till now.
But through this caloric calamity, there is one prospect which has sustained us, one hope which has been the silver lining in the cloud: the promise of refreshing showers and pleasant breezes. The promise of rain that comes with monsoon.
The season of monsoon is nearly upon us, ladies and gentlemen.
If there is any lesson the cruel weather and the consequential drought has taught us, it is that, due to climate change, weather is erratic. It is already a well known fact that weather is chaotic in the scientific sense of the term, meaning that a significant change in weather can occur due to even infinitesimally minute phenomena.
This essentially entails that even the beating of a butterfly’s wings can cause a tornado in another continent (called the Butterfly effect). In order to counter the infrequent, unreliable pattern of weather these days, a more prudent mindset needs to be acquired by us. We need to be prepared for each and every eventuality – be it a flood or an even harsher summer that just might be awaiting us in the middle of 2017. And with this said, the paramount importance of managing water efficiently and skillfully taking advantage of monsoon showers – especially in our country – becomes apparent. The optimum method of accomplishing this objective is, indubitably, the method of harvesting rain water.
WHY?
When it rains, materials like concrete which have become more abundant today absorb this water, not allowing it to return to water bodies and replenish the water table. This water can be stored by us for future use. This practice is known as rain water harvesting, and it is a cheap way of managing water which not only requires little maintenance and effort, but also provides a high return on investment of time and money. Rain water can be harvested using simple, easy-to-assemble setups to complex systems. An easy way to start is to use multiple buckets or unused dustbins when it rains.
Courtesy: www.ecostructures.in
So apart from the reasons mentioned above, why is it advisable to install a rain water harvesting system in one’s own home? For starters, the aforementioned drought that hit India recently has made it clear that we need to be prepared for future shortages of water. It is possible to ameliorate, and in some cases, even mitigate such a problem (should it arise) in the future if we manage water carefully and use it in a sustainable way, saving some for situations like droughts.
Rain water harvesting also reduces living costs and municipal water usage since, by trapping rain water, we need to use less tap water.This might cause a decrease of up to 45% in energy costs! This water is also much better for plants as it is free of chemicals like chlorine and hard minerals. Perhaps, most importantly, an increase in public rainwater harvesting is extremely beneficial for the environment.
The meteorological trends of seasons are alarming, to say the least, and do not bode well for those not prepared for them, and in any case, it is simply much more efficient to be prepared. Hence, it becomes imperative that we become more cautious for what the future holds, and learn to manage our resources sustainably and responsibly.
Tags: droughts rainwater harvesting
