[Assam] [WaterWatch] Our Drinkable Water Supply Is Vanishing

[mc mahant]

Dear Ram, 
 
We rediscover this issue again and agin-don't we.
But human failings and Government(!) apathy make us forget "Waste not want not " as a boring  sermon.
We all got to the point of "Wrinom Kritva-Ghritom Pibet"  syndrome.
 
Troubles about rainwater Harvesting (should have been universally enforced -like GHG emission control-some 20 years back)  are:

More and more are forced to live in birdcages perched up on 11th/19th floor. Their landlord won't.
It costs big  money to build  rainwater storage capacity adequate"for next 10 months" in your ranchhouse
Stored water still needs Treatment in these 10 months
Earth is a big easy bank to store up rain water--been always was
Electricity(and massively wasted at that) is universallyavailable
My system synergizes these 2--Electricity+groundwater
Travel Light-minimum baggage!
Banks do not like this. "Are you trying to spoil the Economy?"
Public thinks "Well, why isn't next door Jones' adopting this queer gadget? Or --There must be something wrong in it!"
NGO's feel-"Whatever shall we fight on-- if life gets  so simplified?"
The same I felt trying to plug "WonderChair,WonderBed" at Delhi's Handicrafts Export fair-just returned.
 
You should see -feel- hear- all about the Bubbles frothing up the Indian Rupee Economy--the PN issue,Chidambaram's double talk, douubting SEBI, inactive other Economic whizkid MMS---looking askance at Madam's Rising Star son--and not getting a nod-----!.
The bubble is about to burst.
 
Nobody seems to be  Worried.
 
That's what Mera Bharat Mahaan is all about.
 
Love
 
MukulDa
 



Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2007 18:23:54 -0600From: assamrs at gmail.comTo: assam at assamnet.orgSubject: Re: [Assam] [WaterWatch] Our Drinkable Water Supply Is Vanishing
Thanks Mukul da and Manoj. And Mukul da it is really wonderful to know about the practical applicabilities of your systems.
 
Just to add a bit to the discussions, I have also come across a number of people in the US who also are interested in rainwater catchment designs. Here is one system in Oregon. Don't know how good it is, but it has all the photos, schematics and other things. 
 
Hope this helps and can also be used or reproduced at a lower cost in Assam.
 
--Ram
__________________
 
 
http://ersson.sustainabilitylane.com/rainwatr.htm

Rainwater Harvesting and Purification System
 In January 1996 we installed a rainwater catchment system to capture Oregon's abundant rainfall. Portland receives between 3 and 4 feet of rainfall annually. During a gentle rain a typical Oregon downspout sheds several gallons per minute. Our twelve hundred square foot roof captures on average 3600 cubic feet (27,000 gallons) of water per year. 
In 1998 we received approval from the city of Portland to use this water for all household use. This system, which cost less than $1,500, consists of the following components: 

A 1500 gallon plastic cistern, approximate cost: $500. Our tank was made by Snyder Industries. Contact local agriculture or farm stores for best prices. Or check yellow page listings for tanks. Here is a link to an Oregon dealer. 
A 1/2 horsepower shallow-well pump to pressurize the water to between 20 and 30 psi (pressure is adjustable), approximate cost: $250. I utilized a Jacuzzi brand pump. 
Plastic (outdoor PVC and indoor CPVC) piping to connect to the household cold water system. 
Two particulate filters in series, rated at 20 and 5 micron particle size, approximate cost: $20 each; replaceable filter cartridges cost $3-5 each. 
An ultraviolet light sterilizer capable of sterilizing water at 10 gallons per minute. This appliance was recently approved for use in Oregon. I used the PURA (1-800-292-PURA, Valencia, California) model UV20-1, cost approximately $350. Uses about 40 watts. Fluorescent ultraviolet light rated at 9600 hours, about one year of continuous use. Replacement cost of fluorescent tube: about $80. 
Screen covering the cistern to prevent entry of mosquitoes and to catch any large particles that make it past the gutter screening. 
A roof-washer which wastes the first 7.5 gallons of captured water which has "washed" the roof. Once the roof washer has filled, the rest of the water flows to the cistern. See below for details. 
A 20 gallon water butyl rubber diaphragm pressure storage tank, approximate cost: $150. 
A reduced pressure backflow prevention device. This was required by the city to prevent flow of rainwater into the public system. Cost: $120. This would not be necessary if we used rainwater exclusively. However, Oregon has very dry summers and our cistern is exhausted by July. We currently depend on city water during the summer. The city requires annual inspection of these devices, costing about $30. (See photo below.) 
A (optional) water meter to measure rainwater output, approximate cost: $45. 
 Maintenance consists of keeping gutters and cistern screen clean. Filters and ultra-violet lamp will need periodic replacement. The tank is thoroughly cleaned annually in the summer when it empties. Backflow prevention device requires annual inspection. Public health authorities recommend periodic testing of water for fecal coliform bacteria, as for any private water system. Several recent tests showed none. The inside components of our system, pictured here, take up about 6 square feet of floor space. 
At the current time we continue to use the public water supply only for summertime water and occasional drinking and cooking. In fact, during the rainy season, which lasts from about September to June, our only connection to the public utility is one faucet at the kitchen sink which uses less than one gallon per day, which got us into hot water with the city water bureau. 
In my research on rainwater catchment systems the best single reference I have come across for detailed design guidelines is the Texas Water Development Board's Texas Guide to Rainwater Harvesting. 
Roofwashers. A simple prototype is shown in the TG. It consists of a length of pipe for storage of the initial flush of water with a trickle valve (hose bib just slightly opened) and clean out valve at the bottom. Only when the this pipe fills is water then allowed to continue into the cistern. It's very simple, no moving parts. The only thing I would change is to have a narrow section or trap configuration at the top to reduce mixing of the flush water with the still arriving (clean) water. Yet another method to aid this is to add a lightweight (like styrofoam) ball that would seal the intake when the roof washer fills. This simple design is very inexpensive, easy to drain or clean manually, and works very well. The TG suggests one gallon of washer capacity for each 100 square feet of roof. So make your roof washer pipe length long enough. For our model we used 20 feet of 3" ABS. We made it in the shape of a giant U to get this length. Remember, volume equals length times area. Area equals pi times radius squared (in our case 3 inches internal diameter, or .25 foot) and one cubic foot equals 7.5 gallons. To avoid long lengths of roofwasher pipe, it makes sense to use larger diameters. Portland's chief residential plumbing inspector commented that our use of ABS didn't conform to code as plastic may eventually decay in sunlight. Therefore, you should use copper, iron, or other sunlight-resistant materials to be completely correct. Or simply paint any plastic parts to protect them from the effects of sun light. 
Rainbarrels. A rainwater harvesting system can be as simple as a barrel connected to a downspout. Check the Rainbarrel Tutorial for tips on how to put together a system for as little as $15-20. Another great link is the Rain Barrel Guide. One of our neighbors has connected his rain barrel to his basement washing machine and gets virtually all his laundry water from this super-soft source for a miniscule investment. 
One notable advantage of rainwater is its softness. Rainfall in the Portland area contains about 5 mg/liter of dissolved minerals. Compare this with some hard groundwater which exceeds 500 mg/liter. Portland city water, which has an exceptionally pure source, is rated at 12 mg/liter. 
According to two officials in Alaska and Hawaii with whom I have communicated, there is a long established tradition of rainwater collection in some parts of their states. According to Sourcebook Harvested Rainwater, in some areas of the Caribbean, new houses are required to have rainwater capture systems. Hawaii apparently is currently developing (or has already developed) guidelines. In Oregon, there is no regulation of water quality for individual residences -- this is left up to the homeowner. The only regulations I have come across relating to rainwater harvesting are from Ohio, whose Department of Health Administrative Code regulates private water systems. Note, in particular, Rules 3701-28-09 Continuous disinfection and 3701-28-13 Construction and surface design of cisterns, hauled water storage tanks, and roof washers. 

A great resource for rainwater harvesting information is Warwick (Coventry, United Kingdom) University's Development Technology Unit  Roofwater Harvesting Programme .
Update Summer 2002 -- A different style of roof washer. This summer we installed a commercially available roof washer that uses a programmable valve to divert a rain's first flow away from the cistern. A purported advantage is the absence of standing water that can stagnate and potentially contaminate the cistern water. (This could happen, for example, if the trickle valve on the conventional device were to clog or it were left closed.) Below are two photos of the system with this new device. The first photo shows the roof washer mounted on a window frame near the cistern. Rainwater, which enters from the two downspouts above, can be observed from inside the dwelling. The first flush is diverted downwards into a holding barrel. An overflow hose from the top of the cistern also empties into this barrel. Post-flush water enters the cistern via the roof washer's side port through a screened cistern entry hole. The barrel overflow is directed to a swale in the middle of our back yard. 
 
Update January 2004 -- An American-made roof washer and rainwater sculpture. I never was able to get the SafeRain roof washer to function properly in Oregon's often drizzly weather. Either the roof washer diversion valve would not properly close, thus diverting all the rainwater into the overflow, or it would not open after the rainfall event ended, retaining dirty water in the device. I attempted numerous times to adjust it, all to no avail. Unfortunately, for this reason, I can not recommend this device. The last straw came during recent freezing weather when the device froze with water in it, rendering it non-functional. Therefore, recently, I installed a newer style of first-flush device. This device is considerably less expensive (approximately $66 versus $140 at currency exchange rates 22 Jan 2004, including shipping) for North Americans, since it is locally made and uses standard pipe fittings. The first-flush valve kit consists of a hollow ball (see middle two photos below) which, when filled by the initial flow of water, seats itself onto a rubber gasket. This closes the overflow pipe and subsequent rainwater is then diverted to the cistern. After the rain stops the ball empties and the diversion valve returns to the open position. I will post a review of how well this device performs at the end of this rainy season. At this time it already seems to be functioning properly. 
   
At the same time I installed this roof washer I also installed a more elaborate piping configuration (see photo, above, left) leading from the downspouts to the cistern that is intended to act as a water sculpture. Viewable from our dining room window, it will display ten areas of flowing water, depending on the time in a rainwater event and the rainwater flow. During a typical Oregon drizzle, only the left most vertical pipe (see photo, above right) carries water. During a downpour all three pipes will be filled to capacity and additional flow will emerge from the 2" elbow. 
Update January 2005 -- final roof washer review. Unfortunately, this second roof washer employs the same mechanism as the earlier, Australian, model to reset itself after a storm event. Both devices use a small, hollow, plastic ball that fills with water when rain begins. While the ball fills, the initial dirty rainwater is wasted. When the ball is full, it lowers over a drain hole, causing the remaining clean rainwater to be diverted into the cistern. The problem with both these devices is that their ball depends on a tiny pin-hole to empty their water when the rain stops. However, it is all too easy for this hole to become obstructed with small particles of sand or other debris common in a gutter. The ball then does not drain properly and the device does not reset itself. Thus, both devices required close monitoring and frequent manual cleaning in our system. I regret to say that I cannot recommend either one. My recommendation at this time is to employ a homemade Texas style standpipe roof washer. Its simplicity allows it to be constructed and maintained inexpensively. 
We have now sold this house and moved to a different residence. We will work with the new owners who will continue using this system.


Rainwater Harvesting and Purification System /  Feedback welcome  / revised May 16, 2005 
 
 
 
 
 
On 10/22/07, Manoj Das <dasmk2k at gmail.com> wrote: 
Mukulda is right. His house uses this system at Madgharia, near Guwahati.During my recent visit to Thailand rural areas, I was amazed to see that non urban Thais don't use only rainwater. They use rain water for washing, cooking, bathing, toiletry and drinking. Rural Thais have stilted houses and metal roofed structures. At the ground floor (they call floor one); huge earthen pots are kept. These pots are filled with third flush of rain onwards from the roof through a piping system. It rains regularly there. The system can be easily adopted in rainy areas like NER. Rainwater is almost pure water (at least after 2-3 showers). We have a host of drinking water missions, all  failing miserably to provide safe drinking water to people. They should study these best practices abroad and adopt to our conditions. At least in rainfed areas these can be easily adopted. -manoj

On 10/22/07, mc mahant < mikemahant at hotmail.com> wrote:


Dear All Waterwatchers, I have posted quite a few times :short statements to the effect that Yours Truly has simple Technological solution for Converting ANY Water(including Yamuna  or Najafgarh channel's)  to safe drinking water in a few minutes of ElectroCoagulation followed by a few hours of rest-then quiet decantation and  then normal (Sand,porous media,candle--) filtering.   I would have demonstrated at Delhi the efficacy at a forum in Delhi on 15th October '07. I posted So. There was no response from anybody/any NGO/ any GO(I understand THAT!)HAPPY WaterWatching.  mm 


To: WaterWatch at yahoogroups.comFrom: infoharsha at yahoo.comDate: Mon, 22 Oct 2007 05:29:00 -0700Subject: Re: [WaterWatch] Our Drinkable Water Supply Is Vanishing



Dear all,
 
It's true that there might have been mismanagement of water, but how fair is it to suggest that India should revert back to medieval period or else stone age. Is it practical to destroy all water supply system and ask our women and children to bring water from lakes and ponds as it existed during medieval India? It is anti-people suggestion. It is like asking people to use 'bullock carts' or 'horse driven raths' to cut down greenhouse gas emissions. 
 
Instead solutions have to be looked into for improvement in the existing system.
 
Water is said to have become scarce. But is water scarce? No, water is not scarce. It is the technology that is scarce. 70% of this planet is filled with water. Its time we have to change our paradigm. 
 
J.Harsha
New Delhi
(Views are purely personal)anuradha paul <anuradha_paul@ yahoo.com> wrote: 


Our country was a country of lakes and ponds. Theintroduction of taps ruined the entire practical andfantastic indegenous system of water management andconservation. Rural areas had their own tanks which acted as catchments. Rainwater trapping must be doneby reviving these tanks, many of which lie wasted andin ruins in many places. --- mediavigil < mediavigil at yahoo.co.in> wrote:> Our Drinkable Water Supply Is Vanishing> > Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, the Hungarian biochemist and> Nobel Prize winner> for medicine once said, "Water is life's matter and > matrix, mother and> medium. There is no life without water."> > We depend on water for survival. It circulates> through our bodies and> the land, replenishing nutrients and carrying away > waste. It is passed> down like stories over generations -- from> ice-capped mountains to> rivers to oceans.> > Historically water has been a facet of ritual, a> place of gathering > and the backbone of community.> > But times have changed. "In an age when man has> forgotten his origins> and is blind even to his most essential needs for> survival, water has > become the victim of his indifference," Rachel> Carson wrote.> > As a result, today, 35 years since the passage of> the Clean Water Act,> we find ourselves are teetering on the edge of a > global crisis that is> being exacerbated by climate change, which is> shrinking glaciers and> raising sea levels.> > We are faced with thoughtless development that paves> flood plains and > destroys wetlands; dams that displace native people> and scar> watersheds; unchecked industrial growth that> pollutes water sources;> and rising rates of consumption that nature can't > match. Increasingly,> we are also threatened by the wave of privatization> that is sweeping> across the world, turning water from a precious> public resource into a> commodity for economic gain. > > The problems extend from the global north to the> south and are as> pervasive as water itself. Equally encompassing are> the politics of> water. Discussions about our water crisis include > issues like poverty,> trade, community and privatization. In talking about> water, we must> also talk about indigenous rights, environmental> justice, education,> corporate accountability, and democracy. In this mix > of terms are not> only the causes of our crisis but also the> solutions.> > What's gone wrong?> > As our world heats up, as pollution increases, as> population grows and > as our globe's resources of fresh water are tapped,> we are faced with> an environmental and humanitarian problem of mammoth> proportions.> > Demand for water is doubling every 20 years, > outpacing population> growth twice as fast. Currently 1.3 billion people> don't have access> to clean water and 2.5 billion lack proper sewage> and sanitation. In> less than 20 years, it is estimated that demand for > fresh water will> exceed the world's supply by over 50 percent.> > The biggest drain on our water sources is> agriculture, which accounts> for 70 percent of the water used worldwide -- much > of which is> subsidized in the industrial world, providing little> incentive for> agribusiness to use conservation measures or less> water-intensive crops.> > This number is also likely to increase as we > struggle to feed a> growing world. Population is expected to rise from 6> billion to 8> billion by 2050.> > Water scarcity is not just an issue of the> developing world.> "Twenty-one percent of irrigation in the United> States is achieved by> pumping groundwater at rates that exceed the water's> ability to> recharge," wrote water experts Tony Clarke of the > Polaris Institute> and Maude Barlow of the Council of Canadians in> their landmark water> book Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop the Corporate> Theft of the World's> Water .> > The Ogallala aquifer -- the largest in the North> America and a major> source for agriculture stretching from Texas to> South Dakota -- is> currently being pumped at a rate 14 times greater > than it can be> replenished, they wrote. And, across the country,> "California's> Department of Water Resources predicts that, by> 2020, if more supplies> are not found, the state will face a shortfall of > fresh water nearly> as great as the amount that all of its cities and> towns together are> consuming today," add Clarke and Barlow.> > Demand is outstripping supply from the rainy Seattle > area to desert> cities like Tucson and Albuquerque. And from Midwest> farming regions> to East Coast cities.> > The crisis is also worldwide, most noticeable in> Mexico, the Middle > East, China and Africa.> > As population growth, development, consumption and> pollution take its> toll on our water resources, the ability to fight> this problem has> been further complicated by the spread of > neoliberalism. The same> ideas that have resulted in the booty of private> contracts being doled> out in Iraq also have contributed greatly to our> water crisis.> Neoliberalism is the belief in "economic > liberalism," which espoused> that government control over the economy was bad. It> opened up the> commons to commodification and let corporations> privatize what once> belonged to the public. > > In 2000 Fortune magazine printed this telling> statement: "Water> promises to be to the 21st century what oil was to> the 20th century;> the precious commodity that determines the wealth of > nations."> > It has oft been expressed that the next resource> wars will not be over> oil -- or energy at all -- but over water. As the> idea of> neoliberalism, proliferated by institutions like the > World Bank and> the IMF, spread, the public sector has become> dangerously privatized.> And it may not be the wealth of nations on the line> -- but the wealth> of corporations.> > A senior executive at a subsidiary of Vivendi, the> world's largest> water controller summed it up, "Water is a critical> and necessary> ingredient to the daily life of every human being, > and it is an> equally powerful ingredient for profitable> manufacturing companies."> > But when private companies control water resources,> people's needs for> survival are pushed aside in place of the bottom > line. In Africa, an> estimated 5 million people die each year for lack of> safe drinking> water. And yet Africa, with its many cash-strapped> countries, is> targeted by multinationals that force governments to > turn over their> public water systems in exchange for promises of> debt relief.> > When corporations control water, rates go up,> services go down, and> those who can't afford to pay are forced to drink > unsafe water,> === message truncated ===__________________________________________________Do You Yahoo!?Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com  
__________________________________________________Do You Yahoo!?Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com __._,_.___ 
Messages in this topic (0) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic 
Messages | Files | Photos | Links | Database | Polls | Calendar 

 Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe 


Recent Activity


 13
New Members

 1
New FilesVisit Your Group 


Yahoo! FinanceIt's Now PersonalGuides, news,advice & more. 

Dog Groupson Yahoo! Groupsdiscuss everythingrelated to dogs. 

Real Food Groupon Yahoo! GroupsWhat does real foodmean to you? 
. __,_._,___ 

Check out some new online services at Windows Live Ideas—so new they haven't even been officially released yet. Try it!_______________________________________________assam mailing listassam at assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org_______________________________________________assam mailing listassam at assamnet.orghttp://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
_________________________________________________________________
Windows Live Spaces is here! It’s easy to create your own personal Web site.
http://spaces.live.com/?mkt=en-in
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://assamnet.org/pipermail/assam_assamnet.org/attachments/20071023/39e26697/attachment-0001.html