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Rainwater harvesting in South Asia: Regional annex South Asia [Quality Assurance: Jo Smet and Kristof Bostoen]

Author(s): Mathews, Suma  |  Sreekumar, S.  |  SEUF  |  Smet, Jo  |  Bostoen, Kristof

Publisher: WEDC
Place of publication: Loughborough University, UK
Year: 2005

Series: WELL Fact Sheet
Collection(s): WELL

Links:

• http://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/wedc/well/

In Hindu mythology water is considered as sustainer and purifier. In ancient days water was treated with reverence, with mechanisms to preserve and judicial consumption being practised in most parts of India. The early Hindu texts written around 800-600 B.C. reveal some knowledge of hydrological relationships (the philosophical reflections of Vedas and Upanishads). Evidence of water supply for domestic use and irrigation with water harvesting systems can be found in Kautilya's Arthasatra written in 3rd century B.C. Records show that people knew about rainfall regimes, soil types and irrigation techniques, dams, canals, tanks and embankments. They developed a range of techniques to harvest every possible form of water. These included technology for spring water systems with split bamboo pipes, catchments basins and traditional water harvesting tanks such as tankas and kundis. Traditional techniques varied from state to state and even region to region because of diverse patterns of monsoon and terrains of the country. In the hills and areas with high rainfall, rooftop collection and storage by constructing dug-cum-embankment types of structure were used. In the foothills, the flow of springs and streams were arrested and stored. And in the desserts surface rainwater collection was preferred. From those early days effective systems of water management had been established and operated by small communities in many regions of the country.

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