Jamia Hamdard University's Rainwater Harvesting System

Got 1st rank in Institutional category. Mr S. Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, Jamia Hamdard University receiving Rs 2 Lakh award from Chief minister

RAINWATER AVAILABLE FOR HARVESTING

Total rooftop and surface area: 3,15,380 square metres (sq m)

Average annual rainfall in Delhi : 611 millimetres (mm)

Total volume of rainwater harvested: 67444 cubic meters (m³) or 6,74,44,000 litres.


This represents 35 per cent of total rainwater harvesting potential

WATER SUPPLY SOURCE
The daily water requirement of approximately six lakh litres is extracted from six borewells. The remaining requirement is met through private water tankers.

RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEM
Rainwater from various catchments, such as rooftop, surface runoff from open areas and runoff from the Jahanpanah Reserve Forest are harvested.

1. ROOFTOP RAINWATER HARVESTING

a) Rooftop rainwater harvesting at the library building

Rainwater from the library's rooftop is taken to a desilting chamber measuring 2m x 2m x 3m through a closed drain. A baffle wall divides the desilting chamber into two compartments--settlement and filtering chambers. The rainwater first enters the desilting chamber where the silt gets collected and then overflows into the filtering chamber. The filtering chamber has pebbles, which further filters the rainwater before diverting it into the recharge well. The recharge well measures 1.5m x 1.5m x 3m in size with a 30m deep recharge borewell measuring 100mm in diameter.

b) Rooftop rainwater harvesting at the girls' hostel

Rainwater from the hostel terrace is diverted to a circular recharge well 2m in diameter and 3m deep through a closed channel. A desilting chamber is created by constructing a baffle wall inside the recharge well. The rainwater from the terrace flows into the desilting chamber, where the silt gets deposited. The silt-free water overflows into the recharge well. The recharge well encompasses a borewell which is 100mm in diameter and 30m deep.

2. SURFACE RUNOFF HARVESTING

a) Surface runoff harvesting near library building
Surface runoff from the paved and unpaved areas surrounding the library is collected in two trenches located in the eastern part of the campus (near Gates 5 and 6). The runoff collected near Gate 5 is diverted into a recharge well. Similarly, the runoff from the northern side of the building is drained into an abandoned open dugwell near Gate 6.

b) Surface runoff harvesting from Jahanpanah Reserve Forest
The surface runoff from the Jahanpanah reserve forest collects in a pond from where it flows through a stormwater drain adjacent to the Scholars' House. This runoff water is channelised into a desilting chamber and then into a recharge well which measures 2m x 2m x 3m with the help of a 1m high diversion wall.

3. SURFACE RUNOFF AND ROOFTOP RAINWATER HARVESTING AT HAMDARD ARCHIVES & RESEARCH CENTRE
The rooftop rainwater and the surface runoff are collected in an open drain which runs adjacent to the building. This drain, measuring 450mm in width and 300mm in depth carries the rainwater into the desilting chamber. The silt-free water is diverted to a recharge well which has a borewell to recharge the groundwater.

The project was implemented in June 2001. The total cost for implementation of recharge structures was Rs. 6.52 lakhs.

IMPACT

Water level data

Before installing the rainwater harvesting system water levels in Jamia Hamdard were declining at alarming rates. Most of the tube wells that are the only source of water supply in the 100-acre campus were going dry every year. The water level in May 2002 was 47.5m below ground level (bgl). After successfully implementing rainwater harvesting in the campus at different locations, the water level rose to 38.0m (bgl) in September 2002, after the monsoon. The water level in May 2003 was around 45.0 m (bgl). The water level in July 2003 stands at 39.0 m (bgl), representing a net rise of 6m, or 19.68 feet.

Water Level 2005

Water quality 2005

Water Quality 2004

Water Level 2002-2004

Water quality data 2002

Professor P S Srivastava, Dean, Faculty of Science "We have actually recorded a 3-metre rise in the water table within one-and-a-half-years! This is very exciting."