make a project on any two traditional and two modern methods of water conservation
Answers
Traditional methods:-
1) Sand Bores
Sand bores provide a safe alternative for farm irrigation without affecting groundwater. This technique uses the concept of extracting water retained by sand particles. Sand particles act as great water filters by retaining the salt content at bottom and gushing pure water out. White sand is believed to yield water clean enough for drinking too. Sand deposits (as high as 15-30 feet) left along banks of rivers is dug using a manual soil cutter. Casing PVC pipes is inserted to act as filter and an electric or diesel motor is used to pump sweet water out.
The entire set-up costs around INR5,000-7,000 and requires less maintenance when sand deposits are fine and clean. The sand bore technique has been used in Karnataka since decades. The only drawback is that it can only be practiced in coastal areas or in areas with high sand deposits
2) Bamboo Drip Irrigation
Innovated by tribes of north eastern states, this technique economically uses water during dry seasons. It is practiced in hilly areas where construction of ground channels is not possible due to sloppy and stony terrain. This arrangement taps spring water to irrigate fields. A network of channels made by bamboo pipes of various diameters (to control flow), allows downward flow of water by gravity. An efficient system can reduce around 20 liters of inflow water running over kms to 20-80 drops per minute in agricultural fields.
Construction material such as bamboo and fiber is locally available. It is cost effective requiring less maintenance and only 1-2 labourers, who use tools to create a network of bamboo pipes to irrigate one hectare of land in 15 days. The system lasts for around three years after which the wood rots and decomposes to become nutrient-rich soil.
Farmers of Khasi and Jaintia tribes have successfully used this unique technique to irrigate fields of black pepper, betel etc. It has been replicated in urban areas too, where water stored on roof top tanks is flown through bamboo channels to irrigate fields and back gardens. Main advantage of the system is that it does not pollute like plastic counterparts and is very economical and simple to construct.
Mordern Methods :-
1)Rooftop Rain Water Harvesting
All of us who directly consume water are the most important stakeholders in managing water. While many of us urbanites use or waste a lot of water, we rarely make an effort to conserve it. Fortunately, the rainwater harvesting method has provided a solution that can be practiced easily in every household. It is a simple model where the roof acting as a catchment for rainfall, which after flowing through a series of filters and pipes is stored in ground-level containers for direct use or recharged into ground water. Given below is a simple formula to calculate the water that can be collected from your rooftop.
2)Ferro-cement Tanks
This is a low cost alternative for expensive water harvesting containers made of masonry, plastic and RCC. It has proved highly effective in high rainfall regions where large amount of water need to stored in clean form. These tanks requiring materials like sand, cement, mild steel bar and galvanized iron wire mesh, can be easily constructed by semi skilled labours. It’s light in weight and can be moulded into any shape required. It is believed to last for around 25 years with little maintenance. Picture alongside shows a ferro-cement tank under construction.