Water Harvesting & Recharging- A Policy Planning Perspective

Dr. S. K. Sharma*, Vimal Belani*, Lalit Gupta*

ABSTRACT:  The article outlines practices & policies for developing and managing RWH & Managed Aquifer Recharging measures for purposes of meeting integrated socio-economic & ecosystem services. The write-up also provides out-looks & views on RWH and Managed aquifer recharge and their goals as well as possible impacts. Spatial planning interventions & policy-framework measures are aimed at rehabilitating and safeguarding water resources. For various water projects to be developed & managed, the plan must include data management plans prior to their execution. The values and goals of policy-planning processes are to set a framework that encourages versatility and benefits of typified well-planned MAR projects.

1. Introduction: In view of the importance of Integrated management of Ground water Resources and continuously increasing dependency on  conjunctive use of  surface & ground water in different schemes, the  State Govts. are to come up with comprehensive water management policy.

The Policy would aim to implement the RWH &Artificial Recharge Program in integrated manner and to effectively minimize the existing level of ground water withdrawals through efficient water use techniques.

The article clearly defines the ‘vision’, goals and objectives and finally discuss the strategies and action points along with necessary guidelines.

2. Policy Concepts & Strategy: Generally the source water is harvested rainfall and harnessed water-runoff. RWH can be implemented at household level using Roof-Catchment and at Community-level using ground catchment. RWH can be potential source of water supply, flood control, and soil erosion control.

2.1. Strategy and  Action Points:

These to include are:

3. RWH& GROUND WATER CONSERVATION / RECHARGE

• Ground water conservation in urban areas (emphasis on RT-RWH)
• Ground water conservation in rural areas (emphasis on village ponds for storage & conservation)
• Ground water conservation in Industrial areas (pollution effluent of industries to be treated for recycle and reuse)
• Ground water conservation & watershed Program adopting micro-watershed and micro-basin approach
• Impact assessment and maintenance of Recharge works.

4. RAIN WATER HARVESTING POLICY FRAME-WORK

a). Socio- Technological Challenges towards Application of RWH Practices: Climate change issues plus increasing population and water consumption require efficient & sophisticated techniques. Appropriate methods.  Infrastructure for RWH has to be installed in areas where there was never any need for these or else their design was lacking.

b). Strategy for RWH: Broadly there are two ways of Harvesting Rainwater, namely RT-Rainwater Harvesting & surface run-off Harnessing

• Surface Run-off Harvesting:  In urban areas, rain water flows away as surface run-off. The run-off can be caught & used for Recharging aquifer by adopting appropriate methods.
• Roof-Top RWH:  In roof-top rain water harvesting, roof is the catchment, captured water is stored in Tank or directed to a Artificial Recharge system.

c) Commonly Used Recharging Methods:

These are:

• Recharging of Bore wells
• Recharging of Dug well
• Recharging Pits(for small houses and shallow aquifers)
• Recharge Trenches
• Recharge Shafts
• Percolation Tanks

d). Capacity of Structural Methods:  Capacity can be designed based on;

• Catchment Area
• Intensity of Rainfall, and
• Recharge rate of soil

e). Effective Policy Types: Best RWEH Policies protect water as human right, safeguard public health and promote rainwater use, resource conservation and sustainability. Effective policy types include:

• Good standard and enforcement
• Incentive-based Policies,&
• Outcome-based policies

f). Need & Characteristics  of a Good  Water Policy:

• The Need of Policy: Policy should seek to manage the various risks associated with its use, for e.g. the health of house-holds, communities and the needs of environment.
• Key Characteristics of a Good Policy:

These to include are;

• Safe use of water
• Conservation of both water & energy
• Promotion of green buildings & sustainability
• Supporting green  business opportunities
• Out-come based policy(focus on results)

g). Framework for a Policy:

Addressing Challenges & Issues:

• Balancing Risks to communities with inadequate water supplies
• RWH should be a Integrated part of a Comprehensive Water Resources Management (WRM) Framework.
• It should be simple and adoptable with ease of implementation.
• Risk mitigation (i.e. treatment), Disinfection (chlorine etc.) and Drip irrigation should be behaviour-based.
• Policy development of RWH system should include involvement of Stake-holder communities
• Policy must have clear codes regarding implementation and to the satisfaction of Regulatory Authorities.
• Policy should not place undue burden on Users.

h). Considerations to Establishing  Municipal RWH Program:

• Establishing RWH codes concerning storm water management/waterConservationpractices.
• Acceptable end-uses for Harvested rain water & required treatment for specific uses
• Required system components include pre-filtration, storage containers, dual piping system etc.
• Adequate design & maintenance of Cistern and Piping system is to be the responsibility of Cistern-owner.

i). Sum- Up:

• Habitants( house-holds) should have Govt-funded program for Roof-Top RWH and Storm water Harvesting for later uses
• Protecting catchments in order to avoid pollution of Rainwater
• State to have multiple codes related to building,electric,plumbing,zoning and storm water for  health and safety of communities.
• Incentives for  RWH  are needed to be instituted
• Interaction of policies & Institutions including NGOs particularly in the field of Rain Water related education and awareness –raising should be ensured.

5. Current Practices in The Country:  RWH is practiced on a large scale in cities like Delhi where RWH is a part of State Policy. Tamil Nadu is the first state to make RWH mandatory. Indian Railways has installed Roof-top RWH systems at more than 2400 locations different for meeting growing demand for water in order to replenish ground water table.

6. OPTIMAL RAIN WATER HARVESTING POLICY

(i). Challenges for Implementing RWH: Include;

• Regulatory requirements for RWH in India
• WQ for Domestic RWH-System
• Funding Sources, including incentive and appropriate partnership for RWH
• Sustainability of Domestic RWH System and climate change and rainwater harvesting

The above are research topics as challenge to Mainstreaming RWH in Water-Sector.

(ii). Policies & Legislation for RWH:

• RWH required emphasis in the WRM strategy and needs to be linked with food-mitigation and water conversation, especially in water-stressed areas
• Commercial use/application of RWH needs to be investigated and incorporated in the Water Act
• A Regulatory framework needs to be developed for the different categories of use of Rain water such as –
  • Use of Rain water or Drinking water for potable use (human & livestock)
  • Irrigation & Gardening
  • Commercial use, and Industry
• There is need for Specific Regulations (e.g. Municipal bye-Law to support RWH for domestic use. For instance, water for RWH system should be filtered, disinfected and comply with certain health regulations before it could be used for drinking water
• Regulations to be put in place need to investigate whether distinction will be made between affluent people and indignant people in the use of rain water
• A Monitoring & Support Group to implement, enforce & revise regulations need to be in place
• Guidelines for Domestic RWH system (Human Consumption) need to be developed. A large number of NGOs & Agencies are installing RWH system that are not regulated
• A Monitoring & support group to implement, enforce & revise regulations need to be in place
• Guidelines for domestic RWH system (Human Consumption) need to be developed. A large number of NGOs & agencies are installing RWH system that are not regulated
• The Social Aspect (i.e Community participations, users perception & beliefs, needs etc.) of using RWH needs to be investigated to optimize the sustainability of the concept of DRWH
• It would be better to Implement Regulations for new developments rather than targeting existing infrastructure to comply with regulations
• There is great need for Developing RWH Strategy as part of the Regulations for Builders & Contractors

(iii). Knowledge/Information Management and Advocacy for RWH:

To include:

• Raising Consumer awareness, training & knowledge dissemination on RWH are critical for the success of the concept
• Currently there are no institutions to Coordinate RWH – research between different departments, institution etc. & therefore there is lack of knowledge on research
• Establishing gateways for learning about RWH in rural communities and ways for reaching the people in rural areas
• Disseminate knowledge of what has been worked/not worked? i.e. WQ aspect, infrastructure, O&M and monitoring

(iv). Infrastructure for Domestic Rain Water Harvesting (DRWH)

• Norms and standards to be developed for the infrastructure of RWH systems and need to be made compulsory in building regulations. Local Municipalities should ensure enforcement of the regulations in  new developments

(v). Water Quality of RWH for Domestic Use:

• Is RWH safe for Drinking?
• Pathways for contamination in RWH tanks need to be investigated
• The effect of pollution for Roof-Top RWH system need to be investigated and quantified
• Sources of contamination need to be investigated such as impact of mining/agricultural activities/ industrial activities/ waste management treatment/ traffic/ urban activities/ wildlife and the type of roof material

(vi). Catchment/Storage Management:

• Social practices, households do not remove water from the tank, consequently there is no information on the limits/duration for water stored in the tank

(vii). O&M of RWH System for Domestic Use: 

• Determining who should be responsible for the O&M of RWH in case of poor Households
• Maintaining Installation of Tanks including quantity & quality of the system
• RWH at Household level is not financially sustainable: Focus is needed on commercial, cooperatives, industry, Pvt. Company levels, with main aim of focusing on the city as a whole rather than individual households

(viii). Monitoring & Evaluation of RWH:

• Monitoring, Risk assessment, guidelines, framing and creating awareness in the communities of the issues around water quality in RWH system
• Regulating or Monitoring the quality of RWH System

(ix). Financial Aspects with RWH: Possible sources of funding –

• Doner Funds
• Housing subsidies
• Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG)
• Municipal Water Infrastructure Grant (MWIG)
• Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG)
• Funding mechanism should consider bulk funding for infrastructure and also earmarking/ring-fence funding for research in RWH, especially to address gaps in research

(x). Water Demand Management & Water Conservation:

• Determining the role of RWH in Water Conservation, demand management, its impact on revenue generation in municipalities and the development of a casting model for planning & budgeting purposes
• Providing guidance on the sustainability of RWH system per locality or geographical space (e.g. District municipality level)
• Determining the selection criteria for places to install RWH
• Understanding the nexus of RWH & Storm water in urban settings
• Linkage between Municipal water system & RWH system is to be considered especially in small towns

(xi). Roles & Responsibilities: In the development of RWH sectors, different stakeholders have different parts to play. Delhi Water Board will ascertain the roles, responsibilities and time-frames for the deliverables and outputs by all tiers of government, catchment Agencies, NGOs, Research Institutes, Private sector and Private consultants. These roles & responsibilities will be set in the Strategic Framework for Research in RWH

7. WATER HARVESTING & RECHARGING: POLICY PLANNING FRAMEWORK

(i). ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE:

First used in the United States in Denver Colorado, in 1889 – has been adopted by other areas, including New York, California, Florida, Texas, as well as India, and Russia etc.

Groundwater is recharged artificially by:

1. Spreading water over the land surface through pits, furrows, and ditches, or
2. Injecting fresh water directly into wells.

With either procedure, the objective is to restore water levels and store surplus water underground for times when it will be needed. Because of potential contamination problems, artificial recharge commonly requires special approval and considerations. The term artificial recharge is now being termed as “Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) “world over. It indeed is intentional recharge.

(ii). MAR POLICY FRAMEWORK

Information- factors that help prepare policy frame-work include:

• India, amongst other countries, is a region with most MAR capacity & several thousand recharge structures in states of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Jharkhand.
• Depletion of groundwater resources due to excessive & indiscriminate pumping have led to aquifer desaturation & deterioration. The total volume of unsaturated aquifer as Empty-storage capacity of aquifers in various states& regions of this country.
• Replenishment of ground water is now an inescapable necessity of time and water harvesting and recharging has emerged as a boom.
• Factors which influence RWH potential include rain fall, catchment area characteristics and  run-off coefficient of various catchment surfaces

(iii). Delineation and identification of feasible  groundwater recharging regions/projects are to be carried out based on following distinct factors of the ground water system:

• The components of the hydrologic system and their arrangements (confined/unconfined aquifers)
• Nature of water bearing openings of rock layers
• Mineral composition of water bearing rocks
• Water storage & transmission characteristics ( i.e. porosity and transmissivity)
• Nature and location of recharge and discharge areas
• Surface geology, topography and land use-land cover which directly affects site selection & system design.
• System design are based on Infiltration  from surface  or Injection by wells

(iv). Factors for development of Managed Aquifer Recharge include physical, socio-economic, site selection and recharge designs. The ability of an aquifer to receive recharge waters is a function of Hydrogeology of Aquifer and its surrounding environment. 

(v). A Policy Frame-work for MAR System is to be developed on entitlement to use a water source for recharge (based on available aquifer-empty capacity) and entitlement to recover at time of need.

(vi). There is Govt. Manual on Artificial Recharge (CGWB 2007) which specifies how to plan, design, monitor water levels and water quality and evaluate economics of recharge augmentation by recharge structures and urban storm-water harvesting.

(vii). The other reference/guide documents of use include :

• CGWB Master Plan for Artificial Recharge(2020)
• NAQUIM Report of NCT Delhi
• Functional Plan for Artificial Recharge of  NCR Region  ,Delhi
• CGWB Check-list for planning  Artificial Recharge Projects
• Standard Design for Adoption of Roof-Top RWH in Delhi- CGWB
• CPCB Manual
• CPWD RWH Manual, and
• Texas RWH Manual as example

(viii). The rate of growth of RWH and recharging  has not  kept pace with rate of ground water depletion  and much more need  to be done leveraging from MAR to facilitate demand management & engaging communities in cooperative management of ground water recharge  & resources.

(ix). The suggestion: Governance Frame-work should need attention to ensure that MAR is suitable, sustainable and also able to protect Ground water Quality. Monitoring of operations and maintaining the public repository of site information. Report & data is fundamental starting point for providing assurance of effective operation for future up-keep of MAR systems including research& educational governance.

8. IMPLEMENTATION SCALES AND MAR TECHNIQUES

1. The main purpose of MAR is to augment ground water by storing excess surface water for later use and restoring depleted ground water levels due to over-extractions thus enhancing the sustainability of ground water.    
2. MAR techniques can be applied at a range of scales for individual household roofs, to communal buildings, to multiple building complexes as well at the sub-catchment & catchment scale.
3. Finally, the MAR is resource augmentation approach and does not represent a panacea in sustainable water resources management. Its introduction could support an increase in demand. 
4. MAR needs to be balanced by holistic and integrated water sector management including water demand management and conservation approach, strong service producers and regulators, and educated & aware civil society, financially sustainable infrastructure system and appropriate watershed and land use management.

9. RWH –Policy & Management Perspective

Growing view- points in support of this section of paper are listed as below:

• Expanding water production- consumption Gap in the overall domestic water is a major challenge for urban communities  and individuals
• RWH remains the primary life-supporting system for  contaminated & desaturated, drought  and flood-prone areas
• RWH has several economic, environmental and social sustainability benefits such as lesser  fresh water  costs, decreased ground  and  surface water contamination, storm water control in flood-prone regions, back-up for emergent needs such as for fire-works etc.
• Consequently RWH has become prominent and integral part of water management strategies in several societal and institutional spheres.
• RWH research, therefore, has to focus primarily on evaluating design & technical aspects of operationalizing RWH in varied regions ranging from an individual Residential buildings to large Metropolitan regions.
• Provisioning of RWH linked community infrastructure are meant to enhance the quality of life and social well-being through community support, health& education.
• Municipalities, world-over, have deployed  RWH to  control  storm water pollution by slowing run-off and collecting rainfall from urban area surfaces (e.g., Roads, Fly-Overs, Parks etc.) for later use through  rain water barrel  program, building cisterns and aquifer recharge.
• In spite of such Infrastructural beliefs, there is still a lack of holistic approach to developing policy- frameworks that can handle the socio-technical complexities of RWH’.
• Application of  RWH  Policy Frame-work have therefore become inescapable necessity of time to institutionalize and mitigate the RWH implementation risks at City –levels providing future discourse to technological and human-social considerations in RWH.
• Extensive implementation of RWH system can promote substantial improvements in urban water resources management. Establishing the physical & financial feasibility of innovative RWH & recharging systems is imperative for their implementations

10. Conclusion: Water is a limited resource that requires to be safeguarded & protected against depletion and pollution with the objective of using it in the country in a sustainable manner. Water-framework guidelines are meant to protect and maintain water bodies and promote sustainable use of water. Water extraction in excess of annual recharging capacity of aquifers have caused water depletion & pollution crisis in the country due largely to intensive agricultural development and accelerated urban growth.

Faced with above mentioned crisis, the Country’s’ water governance system is to be developed and managed in an integrated fashion. Water policy framework should aim at promoting sustainable water use, preventing & reducing water pollution, protecting socio-economic & aquatic environment and finally mitigating the impacts of drought and floods. Water being a state subject, the state govts. are required to develop area-specific water conservation and management plans  specifically devoted to modernizing irrigation system via drip-irrigation ,ground water modelling and implementing innovative managed aquifer recharging measures beside regulating and controlling groundwater management & development under powers delegated to CGWA by Hon’ble Supreme Court vide Environmental (Protection ) Act,1986

REFERENCES:

1. A. Tuinhof: Ground water Resources management Concepts, Experiences and The Role of International  Cooperation
2. Zhang, Yan et al :  Managing Aquifer Recharge: A show case for Resilience & Sustainability( UNESCO)
3. S.Ward:  D. Butler et al: A Frame-Work for Supporting RWH in UK
4. Peter Dhillon et al
5. (Editors):IAH Special Publication 2022:  Managed Aquifer Recharge : Overview & Goverence

*Dr. S. K. Sharma – Consultant (Top Level Expert (TLE) WAPCOS Limited and Former Member, Central Ground Water Board (CGWB). Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India)

*Vimal Belani – Consultant (Top Level Expert (TLE) WAPCOS Limited and Former Executive Engineer Delhi Jal Board, National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi.

*Lalit Gupta- Engineer WAPCOS Limited, Gurugram