Question

Describe how modern adaptations of traditional rainwater harvesting methods are being carried out to conserve and store water.

Answer 1

Traditional methods of rainwater harvesting like ‘the rooftop method’ are becoming popular in India. In Gendathur village, Mysore, about 200 households have adopted the rooftop rainwater harvesting method, thereby making the village rich in rainwater. The state of Tamil Nadu has made it compulsory for all the houses to have rooftop rainwater harvesting structures. Defaulters are severely punished.

Answer 2

Modern adaptations of traditional rainwater harvesting include:

(a) 'Rooftop rainwater harvesting' is practiced in semi-arid areas of Rajasthan to store drinking water.

(b) In hills and mountainous regions people build diversion channels like that in the Western Himalayas for agriculture.

(c) In arid and semi-arid regions, agricultural fields were converted into rain fed storage structures that allowed the water to stagnate and moisten the soil like the ‘Khadins’ in Jaisalmer and the ‘Johads’ in other parts of Rajasthan. 

(d) In the flood plains of Bengal, people developed inundation channels to irrigate their fields. 

(e) Bamboo drip irrigation system is also being used in Meghalaya and other states in the North-East of India.