Mumbai Man Shows How to Harvest Rainwater at Home With Just Rs 2,500 and Save Thousands of Litres

Mumbai Man Shows How to Harvest Rainwater at Home With Just Rs 2500 and Save Thousands of Litres

Mumbai is synonymous with beautiful rains during the monsoons. However, instead of using the city’s potential to harvest rainwater, millions of litres are flushed into the drains every year.

At a time when several cities like Bengaluru are running dry, it is disheartening to see a city that has the potential to harvest rain releasing it into the sea.

To find a practical way to harvest rain, Malad-resident Subhajit Mukherjee has come up with a unique low-cost rain harvesting and groundwater recharge system.

Taking inspiration from the idea once shared by retired IPS officer Kiran Bedi, Subhajit designed this model with the help of engineers from IIT-Bombay.

His cost-effective system is built using PVC pipes and a water barrel/drum.

His method– – Take a barrel of the size and capacity you need and drill some holes around its surface. – Dig a 3×3 ft or 5×5 ft pit, install the drum in it and connect it with a PVC pipe leading to the terrace. – Fill the cavity with pebbles and stones to prevent mud from entering the drum and wedge it firmly. – The system channels water that falls onto your terrace into the underground pit which helps in conserving and reviving the groundwater and other nearby water bodies like ponds, lakes, and deep tube wells.

Subhajit also created a rainwater harvesting set-up that can hold water for up to 10 days. This can be used for non-drinking purposes.

The system, which costs around Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000, has been helping save thousands of litres of water in Mumbai schools, parks, and housing societies.