Water Harvesting: Saving the Blue Gold (Part 1)
Written by Tanny PC
Got Water? Harvest it!
“When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.”
– Benjamin Franklin
Soon, a day will emerge in our lives when a person will be considered ‘wealthy’ not based on the number of valuable treasures (gold and diamonds) he owns, but on how many gallons of water his residential reservoir holds. Strange to think, but soon to be true! Consider our Earth as a tennis ball, then the amount of freshwater it holds will be, more or less, equal to a drop of water placed on the ball. Imagine… The vast and gorgeous blue areas that we observe on Earth’s images estimate approximately 70% of water, but, shockingly, only less than 3% of Earth’s water is potable. About 96% of the blue solvent on Earth is ‘saline’ derived from oceans and seas. Although the surface water on Earth is easy to visualize and use, however, the unseen groundwater is stored in deeper parts of Earth’s surface, which when extracted could help suffice daily human needs.
Considering the drastic climate and weather changes, deforestation, tsunamis, and other unpredictable calamities hovering on the globe for the last 10 years due to extreme calamitous weather crises, inhabitants of Earth are alarmed as water scarcity continues to prevail. Human negligence toward nature is destroying the healthy, monotonous patterns of weather and water flow, thus altering the climate and water routes to shift from bad to worse conditions. We have overused and polluted many lakes, rivers, and aquifers with industrial, household, and sewage waste. Wetlands are drying up and turning into barren lands, and farmlands are turning into arid deserts. These changes are turning inevitable and constant. The clock is ticking… Time is passing by. We have to firmly take the reins of our own fate into our own hands now and collaboratively take action to save, harvest, recycle, and use freshwater resources and rainwater supplies thoughtfully before it becomes diminutive on our planet. Why? If we don’t, there will soon appear a time on Earth when it will gradually turn into a rocky, hot, and hostile planet for all its dwellers, probably making us extinct, by posing a threat to human, wildlife, and vegetation survival. Water is more precious than exquisite, rare crystals. It is Life! That means ‘No Water… No Life!’
The ‘blue gold’ – popularly known as ‘water’ – has been sandwiched between human demands and manmade urges. Groundwater or surface water, which was abundant on our planet, is now in a dilapidated condition – all because of our neglect and habit of taking things for granted. Often, we read in the newspapers or watch TV shows about how several lush, green farmlands have turned into barren, arid deserts due to human negligence, which is followed by drought or famine, or floods. We watch… We bemoan… We wait…But we don’t ponder upon certain issues to preempt problems unless we foresee the tip of the iceberg. One such apprehensive, lingering issue is the scarcity of drinking water all around the globe. As per UNICEF reports, by 2025, most freshwater resources on our planet will dry up forcing people to surrender to water stress and water scarcity. Ecosystems around the world will suffer and the biodiversity of species will be threatened.
How can we face these challenges (together) and gather a solution to conserve water and thrive on this planet? Amidst all the scary and sad news that haunts us every day, the beacon of hope, the only key solution to most water-related problems, still prevails – ‘Water Harvesting.’ Yes, it’s the only way to keep our planet alive and lively, and its inhabitants livable. So, “Let’s plant the rain before it drains!” This quote is inspired by Brad Lancaster – an award-winning, water harvesting and permaculture management expert in Tucson, AZ, USA. In this video, Brad explains how with our (little) help to (and from) Nature, we can end the drought by adopting passive water harvesting techniques. Brad’s passion for rainwater harvesting has turned into a sustainable business idea where he and his family members (collaboratively) are able to harvest approximately 100,000 gallons of water per year on a 1/8-acre urban lot and adjoining public areas in the Sonoran desert. Brad, enthusiastically, mentions in his biography, “Outside the home, I have helped others do the same, enabling clients to create ephemeral springs, raise the level of water in their wells, and shade and beautify neighborhood streets by harvesting their street runoff in adjacent native tree wells. This harvested water is then turned into living air conditioners of food-bearing shade trees, abundant gardens, and a thriving landscape incorporating wildlife habitat, beauty, edible and medicinal plants, and more.”
With the growing stress related to drought, groundwater depletion, wildfires, and flooding on our planet, we put all the blame on water mismanagement, water wastage, negligible water harvesting techniques, unsuccessful government propositions, and a damaged hydrologic cycle, which exacerbate the problems. While further researching and looking at the bigger picture, I chanced upon another water hero, Andrew Millison, who is a documentary videographer and travels around the world documenting epic permaculture projects in places such as India, Egypt, Mexico, Cuba, and throughout the United States. He is an innovative educator who founded the Permaculture Design education program at Oregon State University (OSU) in 2009. His permaculture techniques and upgraded designs help others to restore damaged ecosystems and degraded landscapes for developing better ecosystem regeneration and a world of clean water abundance and water security, thereby providing hope and resilience to our communities.
Andrew runs his own YouTube channel that features some of the world’s most impactful large-scale permaculture projects – one of them being ‘India’s Water Revolution,’ which he filmed in India depicting the epic work of the Paani Foundation’s Water Cup Competition. In the free global Permaculture Water Summit, conducted by OSU in October 2022, eminent speakers from around the globe (such as Andrew Millison, Dr. Rajendra Singh, Geoff Lawton, and others) connected to share viable solutions for the water crisis in the world, which they believe was ‘Permaculture water management.’ In this and the next blogs, we will understand the importance of ‘Water conservation’ and ‘Rainwater harvesting’ through various examples and innovative minds.
A Drop Saved is a Drop Earned
“If you only do one thing, collect rainwater.”
– Bill Mollison
On a leisurely, breezy, rainy evening, Alicia was relaxing on an armchair on her patio and sipping on a cup of warm coffee. All cozied-up inside a blanket and lost in warm thoughts, Alicia was enjoying the euphonious sound of pitter-patter raindrops, which added an additional charm to the clement weather. She stood up from her chair with the coffee mug in her hand to feel the breeze on her face and see the raindrops up-close. The drops of blue gold drenched her backyard and soaked her thirsty garden making it even more lush green – nevertheless, they were thoroughly enjoying the heavenly Nature’s shower. Plop! Suddenly, a rain droplet fell into her coffee mug, and then another… Alicia retraced her steps toward the covered patio and sat on the chair. But this episode made her face the reality and think hard – “Oh! So many drops of pure bliss are running off to the drains – can this downpour be channelized for a better purpose?”
Curiosity leads to Questions… Questions provide Solutions. However, in order to decipher and understand the reason behind the following questions – ‘what led us to face the water stress?’, ‘why is it of utmost importance for us now to be familiar with and adopt water harvesting techniques?’, ‘what is the fate of drinking water in the near future?’, ‘how can we battle the water crisis..together?’, and so on – we have to comprehend and gather basic information about the ‘availability of water’ on our planet and ‘how living organisms are completely dependent’ on it.
When we see a beautiful ‘thing,’ we glance at it, appreciate it, and even try to own it. But, as time passes, do we try to preserve it even after owning it? Or maintain it for years? Well… if the ‘thing’ costs us a fortune to be acquired and is, therefore, an exorbitant one, then surely (maybe) we would be solicitous toward its existence and well-being for prolonged years. What if the ‘thing’ belongs to Nature and is derived from it, coexists through ages, and is readily available amidst other natural resources? Now, here comes the reality – as we haven’t invested a penny in its coexistence, we start to take the ‘thing’ for granted and ignore it over a period of time, or waste it, or don’t value it… until things go out of our hands and the ‘thing’ becomes endangered or scarce, or even extinct! And, then we realize what we have lost! I reckon most of us have experienced a similar situation, sometimes, in our lives, and regretted it later.
The pristine blue areas on our planet surrounding the green-blue territories allure us. Apart from oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, aquifers, icecaps, and glaciers on Earth, water also exists in the air as water vapor and in the ground as soil moisture. Oh yes, I understand, by looking at this scenario, you might be thinking like me (while in my childhood days) that these water bodies look plentiful and are enough for our survival on this planet, am I right? But, practically speaking, do you know that less than 3% of Earth’s water is potable? Here, I am talking about ‘freshwater’– the water that we use for drinking, irrigation, bathing, feeding our livestock and other animals, and so on. In addition, out of the 3% freshwater, two-thirds is tucked away in frozen glaciers, which is unavailable for our use.
This is one of the alarming reasons that more than 3 billion people across the globe experience water stress, water scarcity, and even have to live without water (intermittently) for almost a month in a year. These situations cause unhygienic sanitation issues and diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and other water-borne diseases. Apparently, in many developing and underdeveloped countries, where water shortage prevails, women struggle to follow basic hygiene during their menstruation period and pregnancy. The ‘farmers’ are considered the backbone of a nation as their committable duties (involving sowing, reaping, and harvesting crops) of providing us with healthy and nutritious food, from their farm to our plate, are extraordinarily noteworthy. Their job is a struggle for them while water depletion continues to thrive on Earth followed by excessive drought or famine every year in many parts of the world. These are just a glimpse of the real picture that most of us are unaware of.
Earth is a living entity, not a commodity. It’s a watery abode to many living organisms, but the water on our planet is not stagnant – it travels and converts itself from one form to another – thanks to the water cycle phenomenon. Nevertheless, it’s the only planet that has existence of life in the entire universe. And, the most valuable thing that balances life and survival of organisms on this planet is ‘water’ – the blue gold.
Understanding Water Conservation – The Need of the Hour
“Once you carry your own water, you will learn the value of every drop.”
– African proverb
Do you keep the tap water running while brushing your teeth? What do you do with the water after washing veggies and fruits? Do you water your plants using freshwater from the sprinklers or pipes? If yes, I would request you to pay attention now.
Human intelligence is evolving every single day – the numerous neurons firing in our brain cells are the causative agents that trigger the thought process leading to inventions and development. But are all these scientific and technological advancements worthwhile contributions of mankind? Let’s think again, and think hard this time. We dedicate our time, money, and effort to safeguard our nation by enhancing nuclear power, we create and send our rovers to space to acquire knowledge of other planets that has life, and we have manhandled the agricultural system so much so that we are deliberately using machines and chemical fertilizers to get more yield and make more money, and the list seems to be growing endlessly.
Unfortunately, we fail to understand that we are currently residing on the Only planet that has Life, and we should live decently. All the other things that we are currently focussing on and investing our time and money in are of negligible importance to us if we do not survive on this planet! Advancement should not mean destruction or causing harm to something to achieve something noteworthy. Advancement is a skillful ladder that we step up on wisely to become more protective toward something from where we emerge from – in this case, our Terra Verde. We are silently killing our planet by our ruthless, insensible actions – our only home to beautiful, diverse species of organisms. Alone, even environmentalists, researchers, and government plans cannot achieve success if ‘we’ – the people of this planet – lend a deaf ear to the weather crisis announcements. Development should not harm a Civilization, but rather enhance it to make our lives worthy of survival.
Having said so, the gift of human intelligence and the power of nature can dramatically shape the future of our existence. Humans have experienced drought, famine, floods, tornadoes, and other natural calamities – some were natural, and some were the results of our manmade chaos. However, we have surely understood the need of the hour and tried to harness many natural waterways by building dams and bridges, creating water wells, developing irrigation systems, and designing other structures that improve human civilization to thrive on this planet by coexisting and connecting with nature.
One such project that can give wings to solve almost all water-related problems is ‘Water Harvesting.’ Water scarcity is threatening each and every individual as freshwater depletion is creating an aura of agitation and death around the globe. So, if you are still wondering and procrastinating your thoughts and actions on how and why to invest in water conservation techniques in your own space, please understand that ‘Time is of the essence’ and ‘It’s now or never.’ Necessity is the mother of invention. Although it is nearly impossible to trace back what fascinated people to the origin of rainwater harvesting, however, a few shreds of evidence predicted that during 2000 BC in India, Mesopotamia, China, and modern-day Israel, various types of rainwater collection techniques were used. In earlier times, people designed simple and basic systems to harvest rainwater that involved a large rock that formed into a basin using clay and other rocks to seal it from leaking. Furthermore, by utilizing various diversion tactics, water was stored and used for numerous purposes such as drinking, washing, agriculture, and so much more.
By taking examples from the past and learning our lesson, we find many reasons to invest and lay the foundation for water harvesting as it has its own advantages of creating a sustainable environment and financial, ecological, and community benefits. Our aim should focus on reducing water use and wastage, reusing the water after vegetable cleaning (and other usages), and recycling the used water for other purposes. By increasing awareness, implying and adopting new technological advancements for rainwater conservation, improving agricultural water use, water harvesting, minimizing groundwater/freshwater use for daily activities, and accepting other productive measures of water conservation, we can surely help replenish the natural underground aqueducts. These strategies will also help recharge local aquifers, ensure water availability in water-scarce zones and areas with low rainfall, reduce drought and urban flooding, provide excellent merits for every community, and therefore address the water crisis issues globally.
As we have gathered the knowledge that ‘Charity begins at home,’ likewise, the People and the Government of a state, hand in hand, can come up with appropriate methodologies, incentive structures, efficient schemes, and logistic assistance to make ‘rainwater harvesting’ a sustainable and efficient water management system, which should be accepted and practiced by almost all households, community centers, parks, and other largely populated areas in every country. This will not only help in the empowerment and employment of people at the grass-root level but also contribute toward a permanent and sustainable solution to the water crisis across the world if conducted in a proper manner.
Reap Goodness has already started to work with trios of cooperatives for water, food, and ecosystem restoration to make this world more sustainable and greener for generations to follow. The first cooperative is devoted to utilizing rainwater for land regeneration and spreading the word about water conservation in the local community. Water is a form of life, and it is the foundation of human civilization. We are devoted to creating and using our creative ebooks and instructional videos to deliver the needful message to feed fresh minds in schools and colleges too. Let’s begin the good work, together! Stay tuned for some more precious (like water) information in our future blogs. Until then, Save Water, Save Lives!
