Belief in Rainwater Harvesting System

                                                                                                     -By Bimala Gurung

Nirmal Basti, a small community located in Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City of Nepal has so much to share about Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) system. At the entry point itself you can see a board of RWH. When I along with couple of my friends first visited the place, we first saw an encouraging board.

 

                Encouraging people to develop the community as a model for RWH system.

With the trust between the local people and external agencies and their joint effort, total of 22 RWH systems have already been constructed in this community solely for recharging a nearby community recharge well. From 13 rooftop catchments and 9 surfaces run off catchments, the rainwater is being recharged. Even the storm water is being managed and recharged in this well.

                                                     A community recharge well.

According to the reference data collected on 1 November, 2012, the outside diameter was 4’10” and inside diameter was 4”4”, the depth of water was 28’6”, water of 5’ was available and the level of water was 23’6”. The water level has certainly risen in the recharge well since then as when we collected data on 15 August, 2013, we found outside diameter to be 42” and inside diameter 38”, depth of water 27’9”, water of 8’5” available and the water level 19’4”.

The RWH system has definitely been beneficial to the community and its people yet during the months of March and April, the recharged well tends to dry out. The community people are forced to buy tanker costing them approximately Rs.600 per 1000 liter per month in average. Even though they have their complaints, they believe in years to come the well will be recharged enough and they can fully rely on the community well for water. What is more inspiring is the faith of the community people on RWH that it indeed is going to fulfill their water demand. They have all the right reasons too to have such faith...