Rainwater harvesting for home FAQs

What is rainwater harvesting?

Rainwater harvesting is a collection of rainwater in every possible ways and utilize them according to the needs. For households, harvested Rainwater can be used

To Recharge the ground water by diverting it to the Well, Bore-well or Recharge pit
For all household purposes(except drinking) such as Dish washing, Cooking, Bathing, Toilet flushing by storing it in a tank.
For gardening, floor cleaning, car washing, bike washing etc. by storing the Rainwater in a plastic drum

What are the types of Rainwater harvesting for home?

Rainwater can be used

To the well: To bring up the ground water level and improve the quality of ground water.
To the bore-well: To bring up the ground water level and improve the quality of ground water
To underground tank: For all household purposes except drinking
To plastic drum: For Gardening, washing clothes, bikes and cars, Floor cleaning, Toilet flushing, Bird feeding,

What Rainwater harvesting techniques can be used in an already constructed houses?

The below rainwater harvesting techniques can be used according
to the circumstances.

If the house has a well then the Rainwater can be diverted into the well to recharge the ground water. It will help in 2 ways. First, it will bring up the ground water table. Higher the water table,uninterrupted water supply throughout the year. Second, it will improve the quality of ground water. In some area, TDS level in ground water is greatly improved from ~1100ppm to ~650ppm.
If the house has an underground tank then the Rainwater can be diverted into the tank. In this way, Rainwater will be used stored and used immediately for all household purposes like washing clothes, gardening, washing utensils, Floor cleaning, Toilet flushing, Car washing and bathing. This will reduce the pumping of ground water during these days thus saves ground water.
If the house has enough vacant land then groundwater recharge pit can be constructed and the Rainwater can be diverted into the Recharge pit. It will help in 2 ways. First, it will bring up the ground water level. Second, it will improve the quality of ground water level. If this method followed then TDS in ground water level may come.
If none of the above are available then Rainwater can be collected in a plastic drum to be used immediately. The collected Rainwater can be used for all household purposes like washing clothes, gardening, washing utensils, Floor cleaning, Toilet flushing, Car washing and bathing.

What is the approximate cost to setup Rainwater Harvesting at home?

Rainwater Harvesting setup for a single home would cost between Rs 2000 and Rs 50000 depending upon facilities available in the house. If the house already has well or underground tank then it would cost between Rs 2000 to Rs 5000. If the house doesn’t have well or tank then it would cost between 20,000 to 50,000. We recommend to setup Basic Rainwater Harvesting http://thiruvinai.com/low-cost-rainwater-harvesting/ in low budget and see the real benefit of Rainwater Harvesting . Upon satisfaction, invest high amount for sophisticated Rainwater Harvesting .

What are the long-term benefits of Rainwater Harvesting ?

You will be using the purest form water
You are helping to improve the Ground water level in your area. In India, we are depending on ground water for all our water needs.
You are reducing the TDS in Ground water thus improving the ground water quality
Your ground water will become soft over the periods
Lifetime of your cloths and utensils will go up as you are washing them with purest water

What are the different ways to utilize the Rainwater in Rainwater Harvesting?