Filters in Rain Water Harvesting

The demand for rain water harvesting has been increasing fast. The importance of installing the system is being emphasized more and more by the government. The Kochi builders are making it a point to install the rain water harvesting system in all their major projects.

The system consists of catchments, coarse mesh, gutters, conduits and filters. The filter can be made of various materials. Its function is to remove the suspended pollutants from the rain water and make it fit for usage. It is generally a chamber filled with filtering media such as fibre, coarse sand and gravel layers which purifies the water before entering the storage tank. For additional filtration charcoal can be added.

The Charcoal water filters are made in a drum or an earthen pot. The filter is made of easily available products such as gravel, sand and charcoal.

Sand filters are made of commonly available sand. Sand filters can be easily constructed and are also cheap of cost. These filters are effective in the treatment of water to remove turbidity i.e. suspended particles like silt and clay, color and microorganisms. In a domestically constructed sand filter the top layer comprises of coarse sand followed by a 5-10 mm layer of gravel and then another 5-25mm layer of gravel and boulders.

Dewas filter was designed in a place called Dewas in Madhya Pradesh where the district administration initiated a groundwater recharge scheme. The rooftop water is collected and passed through the filter system. The water thus filtered is passed into the service tubewell.

Hi,
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A rainwater harvesting system comprises components of various stages - transporting rainwater through pipes or drains, filtration, and storage in tanks for reuse or recharge. The common components of a rainwater harvesting system involved in these stages are illustrated here.
1. Catchments: The catchment of a water harvesting system is the surface which directly receives the rainfall and provides water to the system.
2. Coarse mesh at the roof to prevent the passage of debris
3. Gutters:
Channels all around the edge of a sloping roof to collect and transport rainwater to the storage tank.
4. Conduits
Conduits are pipelines or drains that carry rainwater from the catchment or rooftop area to the harvesting system.
5. First-flushing
A first flush device is a valve that ensures that runoff from the first spell of rain is flushed out and does not enter the system.
6. Filter
The filter is used to remove suspended pollutants from rainwater collected over roof.
7. Storage facility
There are various options available for the construction of these tanks with respect to the shape, size and the material of construction.
8. Recharge structures
Rainwater may be charged into the groundwater aquifers through any suitable structures like dugwells, borewells, recharge trenches and recharge pits.
Thanks,
Sonia2010!

Hello,
Rainwater harvesting, irrespective of the technology used, essentially means harvesting and storing water in days of abundance, for use in lean days. Storing of rainwater can be done in two ways; (i) storing in an artificial storage and (ii) in the soil media as groundwater. The former is more specifically called roof water harvesting and is rather a temporary measure, focusing on human needs providing immediate relief from drinking water scarcity, while the latter has the potential to provide sustainable relief from water scarcity, addressing the needs of all living classes in nature. Through the proposed individual rainwater harvesting, units will be made available to the beneficiaries. Rain water harvesting has gained popularity in Kerala through various projects implemented by different agencies. the Rain Water Harvesting Campaign of the Government and publicity by various media are responsible for popularizing rain water harvesting in the state. Rainwater harvesting is viewed as a water security measure for the State of Kerala, with two broad types of programmes.