Prof. Manohar Khushalani appeared Live, as a Panelist in the Lok Sabha TV Program INSIGHT on, Monday, 18th June 2018 at 1 pm and again at 4 pm. The discussions were on Niti Aayog’s report, titled ‘Composite Water Management Index’ (CWMI). An intense and productive discussion was held on issues confronting the nation concerning the water crisis in India and the world. Dr. T. Haque, from Niti Ayog, was Khushalani’s co-panelist. Pratibimb Sharma was the Anchor of the Program

According to Niti Aayog’s report on water scarcity published in 2018, India is going through the worst water crisis situation it has ever seen. More than sixty crores of its population are facing this issue and around two lakh die every year. This report discusses the plans made by the government to curb this issue and the position they have reached to achieve the goal in the predicted timeline. This has been done in order to make a competitive framework between the states to keep a check on where they stand and what they can do to get to a better situation.

Twenty-one cities including Indore, Bhopal, and NDMC area have switched to the cleaner city lists after constant efforts. According to the rankings, 5 states – Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra are working the most towards fixing the situation. Their practices have been mentioned in the report as an inspiration for other states to see and apply. These ranks have been given on the basis of 9 key areas, for example, the state with best groundwater plans has been given 15 points, improvement in lakes and other water bodies is given 5 points, and so on.

The discussion takes us through the gaps between what the report discusses and the major issues that need to be tackled. The report informs us about what the states have done by far but will this help to intercept the problems that lie in front of us in time?

Prof. Manohar Khushalani then adds that the country is receiving the required amount of rainwater, but the problem is that it is not managed well by the government and the citizens. Reasons being lack of awareness among citizens, constant fighting between states, and inability or lack of knowledge to conserve rainwater. We are a lucky nation to have this huge amount of rainfalls spread across the country but we lack proper planning. One holistic approach is needed towards making and managing proper schemes.

According to Dr. T Haque, awareness has increased amongst citizens in the civil society and they are taking steps to increase the water harvesting practices but facts say that leakages at houses contribute to a large percentage of water being wasted.

Khushalani also talks about the 70 percent water being contaminated as mentioned in the report. It is very important that the water that goes below the ground is being filtered. The water below the ground is connected. So, it is very important to monitor water harvesting as well.

Talking about the utilization of water among farmers, when they were given the free electricity incentive they started using groundwater more than required. Now, when they are asked to use less water or practice micro-irrigation to grow their crops, they have no incentive to be drawn to this new practice. This is a very big area where the government can focus on. Even for the citizens, this is a big question that can come up, what’s in it for me?

There has been a lack of vision despite the efforts taken by the government. The state and the central government needs to be aligned to make better decisions. It is very much possible as some of the decisions taken in the past have proved to be very fruitful. The report has helped in creating awareness in terms of where the states stands and the positive impact of this will be seen in the coming future. This report with the inputs of people will help create a better understanding of what more needs to be done in order to solve the crisis at hand.

For more information please visit the link : https://youtu.be/hohvMVZvPcQ

Recharge Pit with Desilting Weir- Design Manohar Khushalani

This Recharge pit can be used where the volume of water is large and there is not enough space to accommodate a desilting tank. The other advantage is that the surface water runoff can come from all four sides of the pit as the desilting weir can be all around the pit.

Important: The number of borewells depends on the volume of water. Minimum one , maximum two, Three borewells can be used only in exceptional circumstances. Under no circumstance, the borewell should be deeper than the firsr acquifer. This is to ensure that people dont use it for pumping out water from deep acquifers.

High Capacity Recharge Pit Designed By Manohar Khushalani

This Ground Water Recharge Pit is for Societies with many flats or in institutional areas. Size is Indicative depending on the size of the catchment. More than one Pit can be used if necessary. Water to such a pit should be cleaned through one or more Desilting Tanks. See the previous article on Desilting tank

Important: The number of borewells depends on the volume of water. Minimum one, maximum two, Three borewells can be used only in exceptional circumstances. Under no circumstance, the borewell should be deeper than the first aquifer. This is to ensure that people dont use it for pumping out water from deep aquifers.

If there is only direct surface runoff to the harvesting pit from surrounding areas see the next article on built-in desilting weir

Water Harvesting: Recharge Pit with built in Desilting Weir | Manohar Khushalani

For Pipe Filters (Not Recommended in large Catchments) See the link below

Water Harvesting: Pipe Filters where there is a space crunch | Manohar Khushalani

Desilting Tank Design by Manohar Khushalani

After the harvested water is brought down from the catchment area this tank is used to remove the silt from the water.  Dimensions are indicative. The size will vary depending on the amount of water coming in through the inlet pipe. more than one tank can be used in series if the first tank does not remove all the impurities. The Desilting tank should be cleaned in the dry season every year. Water outlet from the last desilting tank in the series will be sent to the Recharge Pit

For details of Recharge Pit with inbuilt filter :

Water Harvesting: High Capacity Recharge Pit | Manohar Khushalani

Presented below are some design ideas in domestic Water Harvesting. The Dimensions are indicative and will vary as per local conditions and situation.

Above is a typical Domestic Water Harvesting Design for a terrace of 2500 Sq ft, with 800 mm of annual rainfall. This part of the article should be read in conjunction with Manohar Khushalani’s interview to ANI which can be read on this link

Manohar Khushalani recommends Water Harvesting at Community Level: ANI / Pioneer / New Indian Express / NDTV

Below are photographs of the outlets on the terrace.  In the photograph, the one on the right is the existing drain pipe. The one on the left is the new drain hole connected to Water Harvesting Structure.

As you can see the terrace is dirty. So block the left outlet. So that dirty water does not go to Water Harvesting Structure, but flows out side to street from the right outlet.

Now clean the terrace, which should preferably be done before the monsoons.

After the first rain, block the drain on the right side and open the left outlet so that rain flows through it to the Water Harvesting Structure for rest of the season.

All the drains from higher terraces will also be diverted like this to the structure

Finally all pipes drop their rainwater to the inlet of water harvesting structure. The video below shows the final route:

Finally watch the exhilarating experience of water cascading into your Water Harvesting Structure as you recharge Mother Earth so that it can quench the thirst of your grandchildren. Appropriately, in this video, below, you will hear the voice of a little girl crying out for her grandmother “Naani!! Naani!!”

Watch Rain Water Cascading Into the Womb of Mother Earth

Normally for a properly maintained domestic water harvesting pit a desilting tank is not required. For large capacity pits for societies and institutions see the details of a desilting tank on the next article in this seties

Water Harvesting: Desilting Tank for removal of suspended impurities | Manohar Khushalani

If there is a space crunch in installing a filter pit at your location, you can use a pipe filter  but the filter shown is far far better

Water Harvesting: Pipe Filters where there is a space crunch | Manohar Khushalani

Groundwater over-extraction, waterway degradation, and urban flooding are forcing China’s cities to address a vicious cycle. Sprawling urban development and use of impervious material prevent soil from absorbing rainwater, prompting further investment in infrastructures that typically impede natural processes and worsen flood impacts.

China’s “sponge city initiative” aims to arrest this cycle through the use of permeable surfaces and green infrastructures. However…….

Read on….

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/water/throwback-how-china-s-sponge-cities-aim-to-re-use-70-of-rainwater-65399

By Reya Mehrotra

With no Cauvery water connection and borewells running dry, Green Glen Layout in Bellandur has got its forces together to catch every drop of rain. Various apartment complexes in the layout have taken up rainwater harvesting and each is doing it their own way. With each heavy rain, apartments in Green Glen Layout save more than 3,000-4,000 litres of rainwater and have installing meters to curb water usage.

Read the full article here

https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/others/two-apartment-complexes-in-bellandur-are-setting-an-example-in-harvesting-the-rain/articleshow/70014902.cms

Prof. Manohar Khushalani, Editor, OneVorld, was interviewed extensively by the wire service, ANI, on the looming Water crisis in India. His interview forms part of it’s report circulated to all newspapers and news media in India and abroad.

He advocated water harvesting at community and individual level, quoting his own example, about how he built his own water harvesting in his home, as far back as 2003

No drinking water will be available by 2030 if we don’t conserve now: Report

The government is depending upon the desalination in Chennai which is very expensive also however they forget that the earth is a limited planet and oceans will dry. What will we leave for our children and grandchildren? We may have a lot of money but we cannot ask our children to drink money instead of water. Using ocean water and desalination is not the solution but water harvesting is” said former director of National Water Academy Professor Manohar Khushalani.

“It is a collective responsibility of the government and people of the country to save water and contribute to increasing the groundwater levels,” he added.

Mr Khushalani is presently working as professor in Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi and has also authored books ”Irrigation Practice and Design in five volumes”. (Published by Oxford & IBH Sponsored by NBT)

“It is not very difficult and expensive to harvest rainwater. One can easily do it commonly in group housing societies or individually. We will just have to make our heart little bigger and more responsible to be thinking about our next generation,” the professor told ANI.

He has made a water harvesting structure inside his residence, in which he has been harvesting rainwater since 2003, helping the raise the groundwater level in his area.

“I made this water harvesting structure in 2003 when my sixty feet deep tube well dried up. I decided to put all rain water collected on my terrace into it. There are two conditions in doing rainwater harvesting. Number one, first rainwater should not go into it, secondly filtered water should go into the ground otherwise it will contaminate the groundwater. The rainwater which is collected on my terrace flows through a pipe which is connected to the bore. After sixty feet, the soil filters the water by itself. The water which falls from the terrace or from height should be harvested but not the water on the roads during rains because it carries lots of dirt with it which may lead to groundwater contamination,” he said.

Mr Khushalani further suggested that the regions which are facing drought should not do farming of sugarcane as it absorbs a lot of groundwater. “By becoming aware today we can avert the danger tomorrow,” he concluded.

To see the original report click on the link below

Manohar Khushalani Recommends Water Harvesting

The ANI report has been featured in a large number of newspapers such as Pioneer, NDTV, First Post, New Indian Express.

https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/no-drinking-water-will-be-available-by-2030-if-we-dont-conserve-now-report20190620014626/

http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2019/jun/20/no-drinking-water-will-be-available-by-2030-if-we-dont-conserve-now-1992810.html

http://www.pioneernews.in/21-indian-cities-will-run-out-of-groundwater-by-2020-report

https://www.firstpost.com/india/indias-metro-cities-will-run-out-of-groundwater-in-next-10-yrs-claims-niti-ayog-report-40-populace-will-have-no-access-to-drinking-water-by-2030-6850271.html

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/21-indian-cities-will-run-out-of-groundwater-by-2020-report-2056129