Rain water Harvesting is now a much talked-about word and is rightly so.
We all are aware of water crisis being a major concern not just for our country but for the whole world; and rain water harvesting seems the way out. 
But even after implementation of various RWH systems why is India still a water-stressed country?

So are the existing rainwater harvesting systems actually efficient?

Nature gives us precious fresh water openhandedly and free of cost. We receive same amount of rain every year. The real cause of water crisis is not less rainfall but irregular rainfall. The problem thus lies not in receiving but in storing of rainwater.

Existing Rainwater Harvesting Systems harvest only around 18% rainwater, what about the rest?
In last 60 years we have spent billions of Rupees for storing rainwater above ground and are still facing water crisis. Most of the villages start facing water scarcity from January itself i.e. within 4 months of monsoon. At times, to save the storage dams from bursting, water is released from the dams, resulting in floods wherein we lose property and lives heavily. So either it is drought or flood.

Rainwater is not being stored for future use nor managed properly for drainage.
Whatever methods we have adopted till now for rainwater harvesting are inadequate, highly expensive and against nature.
Thus it indicates that there is a need of some serious rethinking.

The reason lies in the Limitations of Techniques of Existing Rain Water Harvesting Systems

In all the current rainwater harvesting systems water is stored above the ground. But unfortunately these harvesting systems fall short to make full use of available rainfall, as their technique of storing water above ground have its own limitations.

Firstly a limited water is stored due to run-off. And further this remaining stored water is open for evaporation.

Very few are aware of the fact that water evaporates even in rainy season.

It was observed that 800mm rainwater evaporated from a tank, out of 807 mm rainfall during monsoon of year 2009.

There are four ways of storing run-off rainwater.

• Excavated tanks like Farm ponds
• Irrigation or Percolation Tanks
• Dams
• Soil Moisture (Innovative KFP technique)

Let us compare the Efficiency of these Rainwater Harvesting Systems

Farm Ponds:
how many years are we going to hang farm-ponds to get sun-dried?

No solution to save evaporation losses of stored water Eats into the productive land of farm Storage capacity is not even 10-15% of rainfall of 2 hectare farm Life is not more than 5 years due to silt deposition Percolation stops in the very 2nd year due to silting Pumping is required for utilizing stored water for irrigation - i.e. Kerosene/ Diesel pump or Electricity is required

Vanrai Bandhara (Bori Bandh):
are we storing water or increasing pollution?

Life is just for 1 year After that sand filled woven plastic bags start wearing and sand flows away The tattered bags are non biodegradable and add to the pollution Major evaporation loss of stored water

Another method adopted lately is - Direct Recharging of Well:

           
Irrigation and Percolation Tanks:
ultimately what we get is a handful of water!

Huge land is submerged under water Cannot tide over the non-monsoon period of 8 months Due to silt deposition storage capacity is drastically reduced Percolation stops within 3-4 years due to silting No solution to save evaporation losses Benefits are available only to downward area of tank For transporting water to upper catchment area, pumping system is required needing further capital investment

Dams:
who will decide when to release water for farming - we or the government officials?

Soil moisture - The Innovative KFP Technique:

Saves water underground Low & one-time cost No Maintenance Life more than 200 years i.e. serves water to your 6 generations to come Returns are innumerable - not just provides water throughout the year but increases ground water table.              Click here to know the details of KFP Rainwater Harvesting              Click here to know the benefits of KFP Rainwater Harvesting

Comparison between existing rain water harvesting system and KFP

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* Plus Taxes & Cost of murum (porous soil) extra, wherever required