Water Conservation & Watershed Management

SHRI RAMDEOBABA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT,

NAGPUR

SEMINAR ON:WATER CONSERVATION

PRESENTED BY,

ADITYA A. LUTADE (43)

SAKET Y. AGRAWAL (22)

WATER CONSERVATION

Water conservation refers to reducing the usage of water andrecycling of waste water for different purposes such ascleaning, manufacturing, and agricultural irrigation.

Water conservation is:Any beneficial reduction in water loss, use or waste.Improved water management practices that reduce or enhance the beneficial use of water.

Goals

• Sustainability: To ensure availability for future generations, the withdrawal of fresh water from an ecosystem should not exceed its natural replacement rate.

• Energy conservation: Water pumping, delivery, and wastewater treatment facilities consume a significant amount of energy.

• Minimizing human water use helps to preserve fresh water habitats for local wildlife and migrating waterfowl, as well as reducing the need to build new dams and other water diversion infrastructure.

Why Save Water?

• People use water in many different ways, we need it to survive.Water is essential to life on earth. We need water to grow food, keep clean, provide power, control fire, and last but not least, we need it to stay alive!

• When you use water wisely, you help the environment. You help preserve drinking water supplies. And you ease the burden on wastewater treatment plants—the less water you send down the drain, the less work these plants have to do to make water clean again. When you use water wisely, you save energy. You save the energy that your water supplier uses to treat and move water to you, and the energy your family uses to heat your water.

How water can be conserved?

• Use water meter to check for hidden water leaks. Read the house water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak.

• Turn off the water when you soap your hands and turn it back on once your done.

• Turn off the water after you wet your toothbrush. There is no need to keep the water running while brushing your teeth. Just wet your brush and fill a glass for mouth rinsing

• Turn off the water while shaving. Fill half a glass with water to rinse your razor. Saves three gallons each day.

• Avoid bathing under shower.

• Wash all dishes at once.

Water can be saved in many other ways such as:• Drip irrigation• Rain water harvesting• Waterless car washes• Low flow taps in wash basins

RAIN WATER HARVESTING

What is Rain Water Harvesting?

Rainwater harvesting is the accumulation and deposition ofrainwater for reuse on-site, rather than allowing it to run off.Its uses include water for garden, water for livestock, waterfor irrigation, water for domestic use with proper treatment, andindoor heating for houses etc. In many places the water collected isjust redirected to a deep pit with percolation. The harvested water canbe used as drinking water as well as for storage and other purpose likeirrigation.

Process of RWH

Rural model of RWH

BawodiTraditional step wells are called vavadiin Gujarat, or baoris or bavadis inRajasthan and northern India.

Kunds

Covered underground tank, developed primarily for tackling drinking water problems.

Urban Model of RWH

Advantages

1. Improvement in the quality of ground water. 2. Rise in the water levels in wells and bore wells that are

drying up3. An ideal solution to water problems in areas having

inadequate water resources.4. Reduction in the soil erosion as the surface runoff is

reduced.5. Decrease in the choking of storm water drains and flooding

of roads.6. Saving of energy, to lift ground water. (One-meter rise in

water level saves 0.40-kilowatt hour of electricity)

Some Facts

• Tamil Nadu is the first & only state in India which has made roof top rainwater harvesting structure compulsory to all the houses across the state. There are legal provisions to punish the defaulters.

•At present, in Pune (in Maharashtra), rainwater harvesting is compulsory for any new society to be registered.

Watershed Management

Watershed

An area or ridge of land that separates water flowing todifferent rivers, basins, or seas is called watershed.

What is Watershed Management?

Watershed management emphasizes scientific soil and waterconservation in order to increase the biomass production.The aim is to develop primary resources of land and water toproduce secondary resources of plants and animals for use in amanner which will not cause ecological imbalance.The process of creating and implementing plans, programs,and projects to sustain and enhance watershed functions thataffect the plant, animal, and human communities within awatershed boundary.

Causes of watershed

• Faulty agriculture• Forestry and pasture (Grass land) management leads to degradation of land• Unscientific mining and quarrying• Faulty road alignment and construction• Industrialization• Forest Fires

Results of watershed Deterioration

• Less production from agriculture, forests, grass lands etc.• Erosion increases and decreases biomass production• Rapid siltation of reservoirs, lakes reservoirs and river beds• Less storage of water and lowering of water table• Poverty as a result of less food production

Possible range of treatment measures

• Contour bunding

• Contour trenching

• Contour stone walls

• Bench terraces

• Land levelling

• Summer ploughing

WATERSHED DEVELOPMENT

Tree plantation• Instead of uneconomical agriculture, farmers cangrow grass in this hilly area and can use that as afodder for cattle.• Farmers can go for dairy development if goodquantity and quality of grass is available.• For soil and water conservation this activity willhelp. Plantation on common land will satisfy basicneed of fuel wood.• Cheapest method for soil and water conservation.

Thank You