Rain water harvesting (essay with introduction )
Answers
Rainwater harvesting is the accumulation and storage of rainwater for reuse on-site, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater can be collected from rivers or roofs, and in many places, the water collected is redirected to a deep pit, a reservoir with percolation, or collected from dew or fog with nets or other tools. Its uses include water for gardens, livestock, irrigation, domestic use with proper treatment, indoor heating for houses, etc. The harvested water can also be used as drinking water, longer-term storage, and for other purposes such as groundwater recharge.
Rainwater harvesting is one of the simplest and oldest methods of self-supply of water for households usually financed by the user.
History of rain water harvesting
Ancient times
The construction and use of cisterns to store rainwater can be traced back to the Neolithic Age, when waterproof lime plaster cisterns were built in the floors of houses in village locations of the Levant, a large area in Southwest Asia, south of the Taurus Mountains, bound by the Mediterranean Sea in the west, the Arabian Desert in the south, and Mesopotamia in the east. By the late 4000 BC, cisterns were essential elements of emerging water management techniques used in dry-land farming.
Many ancient cisterns have been discovered in Jerusalem and the entire Land of Israel. At the site believed by some to be that of the biblical city of Ai, a large cistern dating back to around 2500 BC was discovered that had a capacity of nearly . It was carved out of solid rock, lined with large stones, and sealed with clay to keep from leaking.
Around 300 BCE, farming communities in Balochistan, and Kutch, India, used rainwater harvesting for agriculture and many other uses. rainwater harvesting was done by Chola kings. Rainwater from the Brihadeeswarar temple was collected in Shivaganga tank.
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