1) What and why is there a water problem in Chennai - doesn't it get a lot of rain? How bad is it? What form does it take for average person?

Chennai gets most of its rain from the North East monsoon during October and November. The SW monsoon, which mainly benefits the west coast of India, also brings some small amount of rain during July-August. The total annual average rainfall in Chennai is 51". This compares with annual average amounts of 37" in Bangalore, 32" in Delhi, 120" in Mumbai, 62" in Kolkatha and 46" in Houston Texas.

In the 1960's, Chennai had a population of 3 million, fewer houses, apartment complexes, fewer shopping complexes etc. We also had many lakes, ponds and other open green areas that served to collect the rain and charge the underground naturally.

Even in the 60's water supply was limited. The City Corporation provided about 3 to 4 hours of water supply in the early morning hours. There was no water in the pipes during the rest of the day.

In the current year 2003, the population has grown to 5.4 million. Where individual homes had an average occupancy of about 4 people, they are now replaced with apartment complexes, usually 5 or 6 story buildings with 25 to 35 tenant families occupying the same ground area as the earlier house.

Many of the water sources have dried up. Some smaller lakes are now used as city garbage dumps. More highways, more paved surfaces are now preventing water from seeping underground and recharging the underground naturally.

Plus, we have expert drilling companies that will claim their expertise in drilling deeper and deeper bore wells, further depleting the underground source.

All of this has contributed to drinking water shortage in Chennai. You can easily copy the circumstances to Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkatha.

The worst example is Chirapunjee in the state of Meghalaya (just north of Bangla Desh) where they measure rainfall in feet instead of inches. Chirapunjee gets about 38.33 FEET of rain (about 460 inches) and still has drinking water shortage since all the water runs away.

In the big cities, no one collects the rain water. In Chennai, when it rains in October, we have major street flooding for 2 days immediately after the rain, then the rainwater flows through the storm water drains and sewage pipes eventually into the Bay of Bengal and turns into salty water. As if Bay of Bengal needed more fresh drinking water.

2) What is the solution your group is advocating?
- Nature of it?
- Don't you need a massive storage tankk?
- Cost? Compare to water trucked in? - is it sufficient for needs?
- is there any downside?

Our group studied various methods of collecting clean drinking water. Cities like Chennai and Mumbai on the sea coast can think of desalinization projects or the reverse osmosis techniques. Of course, these projects cost major investment and need Govt efforts.

Nature of it

Most houses and apartment complexes that presently receive water from the tanker have the following already available. The tanker fills a sump (a underground tank). There is a pump to take the water from the sump and pump to an overhead storage tank usually on the roof of the building. From this roof storage tank, water is supplied to the various parts of the house using plumbing.

Now add the following:

From the roof, when it rains, instead of a down spout discharging the rain water into the open, use a covered drain pipe to bring the water to the sump. There will always be an overflow at the sump. Provide an excess overflow from the sump to an existing nearby well or create a recharging short well. Total cost : cost of the pipe, cost of an extra small well if needed.

Also, at the gate, trap the water using a grated concrete block and divert this water to the same recharge well.

Average costs:

At the individual resident level, it makes sense to harvest rain water falling over the roof top and the sides of the building. For a individual home, this may cost about Rs 5,000. For a larger apartment complex with 25 tenants, this will cost about Rs 65,000.

Requirements:

A family of 5 that needs about 135 litres per person per day will need 246,375 litres in a year. A typical water tanker in Chennai carries about 12,000 litres of water and the tanker load of water costs about Rs 750 in the summer of 2001. Procuring the water from the tanker will cost our family with 5 persons about Rs 20,531 annually.

A typical house in Chennai uses 1 plot of land which is about 2,400 sq.feet. Most individual houses in Chennai are getting replaced by 5-story apartment compexes. If the entire 51" of the annual rainfall can be harvested, we can collect about 700 litres per day, or about 255,500 litres per year.

3) How are you promoting it?
How can people see it working?
Has there been much success?
What is your personal role in this project?

Promotions

We started different media campaigns - writing articles on RWH, highlighting specific success stories, providing specific design information as well as a list of plumbers having experience in RWH systems. We worked with the local Rotary Clubs and other NGO's to spread the word. Then we thought of creating a one stop Rain Centre.

At this Centre, visitors can actually 'see' the rainwater collection methods. We created an artificial rain demonstration where visitors can actually see how the water flows and gets collected and recharged. (Rain Centre in Chennai Director : Sekar Raghavan Address: 4 Third Trust Link Road, Mandavallipakkam, exactly 1 city block west of the Santhome main road, Telephone : 2461-6134 Open: 11AM to 7PM on all days)

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) helped in a significant way to put up exhibits on why water and rainwater harvesting are essential to solve the drinking water problems.

Progress

In 2001, it was reported that about 5,000 plots had RWH installed. A plot can be a house, a building, a school etc. By Oct 2002, it was reported that 50,000 plots have installed RWH. There is a total of 400,000 plots in Chennai.

Most recent development in Chennai

The Tamil nadu government under the direction of Jayalalitha passed a new ordinance on July 2003. Here are the 3 parts to the ordinance.

1. All residents of Chennai are required to install RWH by August 31, 2003 (other large cities in TN such as Madurai, Trichy and others are part of this ordinance.)
2. For those residents that have not installed by August 31, 2003, the government will make arrangements to install it and send the bill to the home-owner.
3. If some residents have still not installed RWH after a certain period, then the water supply will be cut off.

My personal role so far:

1. Learn about water and Rainwater harvesting techniques and advocate its use throughout the city of Chennai by promoting public awareness and a publicity campaign.
2. Provide initial funding for the Rain Centre.
3. Support 1 temple tank desiliting project with Rotary Club of Madras championed by Benjamin Cherian.
4. Visit India a few times a year, to continue making progress on the project and to meet with the core campaigners of this issue.
5. My next visit scheduled in Sept 2003, hoping to assist in creation of another Rain Centre in Mumbai working with the Maharashtra Nature Park in Sion - Mahim.

4) Does this formula work only for Chennai?
If not, where else? In United States?

Drinking water shortages are acute in the large metropolitan cities of India due to over crowding and lack of adequate natural ways for the rainwater to be absorbed. If you visit smaller villages with only 2000 to 3000 people living in small huts next to green agricultural lands, the problem is not as acute. You will find water at a depth of 10 to 20 feet. There are exceptions to this everywhere. Rocky soils, soft crystalline structures (often close to large mountains), makes it more difficult to recharge the ground.

In United States

There are places in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas that get between 5" to 20" of water and are doing a good job of harvesting the rainwater. Places like Los Angeles and Atlanta always compete for drinking water for people in the big city versus the farmers, competing for the same water in the nearby river. The Los Angeles residents compete with the farmers along the San Joaquin valley. Atlanta residents fight with the farmers on the Cobb River upstream. The lake in upstate NYC that feeds the NY metro is drying up. Yes, I predict that RWH will become a routine requirement in the US.

Currently, in the U.S. the city of Austin TX is at the forefront of promoting RWH.

5) How serious is the water problem around the world and what else is being done or needs to be done?

Drinking Water is a major problem in many parts of the world. We may even see major fighting between countries to gain access to water. This year - 2003 - is the year of Water as stated by the U.N. Israel gets water from Turkey. Singapore survives on one pipeline that brings water from Malayasia. Many parts of South Africa and the hinterland of Australia have no water. With chemical pollution in the air, significant portions of rain-bearing clouds release their water over the ocean before they reach the land.

We must harvest rainwater. We must also conserve and recycle water. Every gallon of water conserved is another gallon of water created. The Thames river in London is now owned by a private company. Its water is recycled at least 10 times. So is the river Rheine in Germany.

6) You talked about conferences in Austin and Mexico - what are they about and what are you doing there.

The Austin TX conference on August 21 and 22 is arranged by the ARCSA - American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association - President - Hari Krishna

The Mexico City conference takes place on August 25-29 arranged by IRCSA.
International Rainwater Catchment Systems Association.

In both these conferences, I am making a short presentation titled - RWH - Success story from Chennai India.

7) What kind of support are you looking for from the community?
Where can people find more information?

If you are listener to this Radio program from Houston or any of the lower states like Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and other states, you must collect the Rainwater and start using it for gardening and other uses. Look at http://rainbarrelguide.com/. A 50-gallon Rain Barrel costs about $ 100. If you are a listener with friends and relatives in South Asia, the water shortage is more critical. Send this document to them today. If they need some funding, send a check for $ 150 and have them install it.

Other parts of the US such as the Midwest and the middle belt, the day is coming soon for us to start harvesting the rainwater.