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A pioneer of rainwater harvesting
Getting inspiration from soak pits of British era in Tamil Nadu Agricultural College, a retired agricultural scientist has become a pioneer of rainwater harvesting in the district headquarters town. Khammam is facing acute water shortage during summer in recent years.
Khammam: Getting inspiration from soak pits of British era in Tamil Nadu Agricultural College, a retired agricultural scientist has become a pioneer of rainwater harvesting in the district headquarters town. Khammam is facing acute water shortage during summer in recent years.
The posh Bank Colony and VDOs' Colony in the heart of the town are the most problem-ridden areas, where drinking water is supplied through tankers during summer. Koka Srinivasa Rao, an agricultural scientist in BPL who took voluntary retirement, built a house in Bank Colony two years ago.
After learning about the acute water problem in the area, he remembered his college days in Tamil Nadu where he found the soak pits of British era, and decided to opt for rainwater harvesting to overcome it. In accordance with a plan, he constructed three sumps on the premises of his house to harvest the rainwater.
Two of the sumps are of 20,000 litre capacity each and the other is a 15,000 litre one. All the rainwater that falls on the roof of the building flows into the three sumps. If more rainfall occurs, the excess water reaches the soak pit built beside the sumps. Thus he is able to harvest about 50,000 litres of rainwater and he never faced the water problem during the past two years.
Buoyed by the success of his experiment, Srinivasa Rao started promoting rainwater harvesting in the town in a big way. A member of Rotary Club, he is encouraging fellow Rotarians to build rainwater harvesting pits on the premises of their houses by providing them technical guidance.
Speaking to The Hans India, Srinivasa Rao said: ``Rainwater needs to be stored in the sumps after removing impurities if any in it. About 55,000 litres of rainwater can be harvested from a structure with a 100 sqmt rooftop, which is enough to meet the water needs of a family of five for 100 days.
The lifetime of a borewell can be increased by getting the rainwater absorbed around the groundwater source as it helps recharge the groundwater table.’’ Expressing his willingness to provide technical guidance to people in construction of rainwater harvesting pits in the town, he said: ``Anyone can contact me on my mobile phone No 9849194748.
The rainwater harvesting which does not need a huge investment is vital to overcome the water problem in both urban and rural areas.’’ His wife Kiranmayi said: ``Construction of rainwater harvesting pits should be incorporated in the building plans of houses and apartments. Rainwater harvesting needs to be taken up as a mass movement to combat drought and usher in prosperity.’’
By A Nagender
