Rainwater Harvesting for Drought Proofing Preeti Misra, Self Employed Women's Association SEWA, Ahmedabad, India email: bdmsa@ad1.vsnl.net.in Self Employed Women s Association The Self Employed Women s Association (SEWA) is a trade union of over 210,000 poor women working in the informal sector of the economy. It addresses the problems of working women and strives for their development. Two thirds of its members are from rural areas of Gujarat. Over the past 25 years, SEWA's rural development activities have helped women to fight droughts and bring themselves above the poverty line. Most of these women earn their living through their own labour or through small businesses. Working in the unorganised sector means that women do not receive regular salary, are not protected by labour laws or regulations, and their efforts are not recognised or not counted. SEWA s objectives are to organise women workers for full employment. Full employment means employment whereby workers obtain work, income and social security (at least health care, child care and shelter). By selfreliance we mean that women should be autonomous and self-reliant, individually and collectively, both economically and in terms of their decision making power. SEWA s Water Campaign Rural union leaders of SEWA say--- - Clean water is our right - We cannot live without water - Without water we cannot be healthy - Our employment is severely affected because of lack of water - We migrate with our families and animals, leaving home and hearth, because without water we cannot survive - We want to develop sources of drinking water in every village - Local women should have control over and manage our water sources - We want to collect and save rainwater SEWA has been greatly supporting the cause of poor women, their needs and demands. SEWA has developed an integrated approach of women, water and work, which it is taking up as its millennium water campaign. SEWA believes that women, water and work cannot be separated because the majority of water users are women and they also make up the largest workforce in India. Therefore, by integrating women, water and work, women's capacity and effectiveness to fight poverty is enhanced. As part of the water campaign, SEWA undertook various activities to bring about permanent solutions to drinking water problems in various districts such as
roof rainwater harvesting tank, Agri-film lined pond, well recharging, watershed management, farm ponds, Checkdams all meant to harvest rain water. Women s ingenuity on roof rainwater harvesting Women are trying to fight the severe water scarcity in the dry desert region of Gujarat, which is experiencing the third consecutive and worst drought year and has also been affected by a devastating earthquake. One of the campaign s major outcomes was the construction of almost 200 household and about 70 community level roof rainwater harvesting structures in the districts of Kutch, Banaskantha and Surendranagar. The women s ingenuity led to the development of area-specific tank designs. According to the geographical terrain, the design and material used in the tanks of each district varies. Roof rainwater harvesting tanks are meant to harvest all the water that flows from the rooftop of each house in water tanks. This method is a re-introduction of traditional ways of harvesting water in the villages but improvised through technical methods. These tanks are an important resource for collecting water during monsoons at an individual/ household and community levels and maintaining it through proper chlorinating process. Depending on the size of the household, tanks with various capacities were constructed. The tanks provide drinking water for at least 6 to 8 months. Water tanks on rocky soil One builds underground tanks, so that the top of the tank can be used for other purposes. The tank is not seen from outside and at the same time it does not occupy space. In Banaskantha district, roof rainwater harvesting tanks were planned to be built underground. However, the soil in this village is rocky and therefore difficult to excavate, furthermore there was a possibility of damage to the house. Women in this district constructed a tank half underground and half on the surface. Local people did this innovation by their own initiative as a response to the local conditions. Community tanks In Kutch district women have made community tanks in their Sheri (group of neighbouring houses in a street) or by sharing between two or-three houses. The benefits of this community system are:! The underground tank does not occupy space on the ground! All the households can share the benefit of rainwater! Constructing tanks on shared expenses brings less financial burden! The size of the tank is determined on the basis of space available and! Increased roof area
Tanks with concrete ceiling, slabs and stone lids These tanks are constructed from material locally available. In Surendranagar district, the construction is made from stones. In Banaskantha one used brick and cement and in Kutch cement slabs. Experiences on Roof rain harvesting in the three districts of Banaskantha, Surendranagar and Kutch Banaskantha district Banaskantha district is situated at the northern border of the Gujarat state, it is mainly a semiarid and desert area. Soil and water here are saline. The extreme climate conditions have increased the desertification. Underground water levels are too deep and often this water is not suitable for drinking purposes. Frequent droughts have worsened the situation and resulted in no or a development. Employment also is a serious problem. In Fangli and Anternesh villages of Banaskantha district, where SEWA women undertook roof rainwater harvesting for the first time, the rocky ground gave problems when trying to build an underground tank. So, the women came up with a better suited idea. Instead of underground water storage tanks, the women constructed tanks on the surface. In order to protect them against the heat, they covered the tanks on all sides with mud. The skills gained by these women helped women from other villages to construct their tanks. Surendranagar district In Surendranagar, which is a dry and drought-prone district, borewells are the main source of drinking water. The district s water table has fallen and is now 250 to 750 feet below the surface level. Moreover, the borewells are unable to cater to the most needy. Village Surel in Dhasara Taluka of Surendranagar district was one of the first villages, which agreed to try roof water harvesting after visiting Fangli and Anternesh in Banaskantha. Village Surel, which is located in the dry desert area, had a borewell, which stopped functioning when a motor burnt. The local organization, called Surendranagar Women and Child Development Mandal, carries out all the development activities in the district. Kamuben, one of the organizers said, I am happy that the women were consulted and involved in the entire process, to the extent that the tank is constructed in my name only. I contributed my labour towards its construction that was covered in the 30% costs that I had to pay to the government. When we could not obtain technicians for shunting i.e. covering the tanks with cement lids, we prepared stone covers for its protection. Now much of my burden of carrying water long distances and frequent fights near the borewell would be reduced. Moreover, I know very well now that rain water should not go waste.
Through SEWA, the women were exposed to roof rainwater harvesting and considered it the most viable and appropriate solution to all their problems. The women initiated a process of community awareness and action through Gram Sabhas and meetings with women at home. The labor contribution of the women consisted of: planning, digging the tanks, cement paving, and tank maintenance. The entire village agreed on rain water harvesting and they collaborated with the Government Water Board agencies at taluka, district and state level in Gandhinagar. The tanks were constructed with a 30% contribution from the households and a 70% grant from the Government of Gujarat. The tanks were constructed in 1998, in the months of April to July 1999, the households benefited from them for the first time. Kutch district Kutch receives very little and irregular rain. There are frequent draughts. Some of the areas are rocky and dry. People tend to migrate due to lack of water sources. Kutch is a dry, desert district bordering the salt-crusted Runn of Kutch. Water in Kutch is salty and recently we observed a decline in the water table and destructive cyclones. SEWA s efforts have been in augmenting water sources by way of conserving rainwater. The Kutch district is know for its Bhungas, that is round mud houses with thatched roofs. These Bhungas are not suitable for a traditional rainwater roof harvesting tank. The only concrete structures in the village are the panchayat buildings, that is schools or community halls. Therefore the women decided to use these public buildings to construct Community Tanks, to be shared by the village. Impact of the tanks on women and the environment The tanks have provided clean water to women who own the tanks. Roof rainwater harvesting tanks have proved to be an acceptable, local alternative for clean drinking water and moreover, they are easy to maintain. Women have developed the habit of chlorinating the water by using lime. Women have also been covering, even locking, the tanks with lids to keep them from too much exposure to sunshine or children falling in it. Until now women have been mainly using this water for drinking purposes. Since the women are directly responsible for water collection for household needs, they have benefited since the water is now available at their doorsteps. They are able to spend more time on their income generation activities and development of their micro-enterprises. According to a study conducted in July 1999, it was found that in 50 households where the tanks were constructed at least 2 women from each family were able to contribute to the household income during the crucial summer months of April to July 1999. They were also able to work at a Government sponsored relief work site from May to July. Each woman earned Rs. 40 (US$ 1) per day for 75 days thus earning a total of Rs. 3000. Overall 400 women were able to do relief work and to contribute to the village economy during the drought period. Therefore, the experience of construction of tanks proved exemplary and useful to women. The most important impacts and/or lessons of these pilot projects are:
! The women themselves managed the project; this resulted in women s ingenuity for tanks construction.! The capacity of the women was built up to take care of the maintenance of the tanks.! Women received masonry training and local employment was created.! The local level experience has generated a big demand for more tanks in these semiarid areas, with saline ground water. Benefit of the tanks during earthquake and for drought proofing After the earthquake on January 26, 2001, the tanks, which received very little or no damage, continued to provide water to the villages. Many villagers, who lost their homes, were able to access their water tanks from the temporary shelters provided by SEWA. The devastating earthquake in Gujarat affected the same districts but surprisingly the water harvesting tanks were not too damaged and it was possible to fix them quickly. During drought and water scarcity, the rainwater harvesting tanks function as water storage tanks for water from the government drought relief tankers that visit each village. All village members have greatly benefited from the women s water initiative. The water from an irregular pipeline water supply has also been stored in these tanks. In difficult periods the communities share the water in the tanks collectively. Everyone in the villages benefits from the household and community tanks. Moreover, after the earthquake there is a massive need for water storage for housing reconstruction in all these villages of Patan, Kutch and Surendranagar. These tanks are useful for storing water from tankers arranged by SEWA for housing re-construction Conclusion Access to safe drinking water is a human right and water is essential for life, work, health, and development. The selected districts are having a severe drinking water problem; they lack clean drinking water while the existing water supply is often irregular. As a result, women have to spend a lot of time fetching water, which hampers the development of the area. In many cases, people have been forced to migrate during scarcity situations. The recent drought, stresses again that water is an absolute priority in the selected districts of Banaskantha, Surendranagar, and Kutch. The roof rainwater harvesting tanks are an innovative approach to water conservation in arid regions. The success of the water tanks in the Kutch, Surendranagar, and Banaskantha prove that a woman s leadership within in a village is effective. Most importantly, these roof rainwater harvesting tanks have helped to rejuvenate the areas during natural disasters such as droughts and earthquakes.