Community Participation: Rain Water Harvesting in Delhi -Role of Community Participation
Water, the essence and sustenance of life, is among the most important natural resource. However, due to the rapid population growth, the per capita availability of water on earth reduced significantly as compared to even 100 years ago. As per UNICEF, four billion people i.e. almost two thirds of the world’s population experience severe water scarcity for at least one month each year. In India, the continuous depletion of water resources is one of the major concerns of the Government of India. Situation in urban areas are more complex and severe. Among them, Delhi is one of the water-stressed cities of the world and is going to become a water scarce city in due course. The main sources of water in Delhi are the Yamuna River, groundwater, and the Ganges Canal. However, these sources are not enough to meet the growing demand for water in the city. A large amount of rain water in Delhi translates into surface runoff and empties into the nearby storm drains. So tapping of storm water from the localized catchment surfaces such as roofs of housing colonies, educational institutions, official buildings, and open areas surfaces etc is a good option either to recharge the groundwater aquifers or storing it for direct use. Basically, rainwater harvesting can be done at individual household levels and at community level in both urban as well as rural areas. This paper discusses the possibilities of rain water harvesting keeping in view the water crisis of Delhi.