Harvest to Harness
(H2H) 2004, the first ever competition on rainwater harvesting,
organized by the Rachana Sansad’s Institute of Environmental Architecture
( academy_architecture@yahoo.com ),
the Lotus Suites and The Times Group has declared its results.
Twenty five final Entries ranging from Urban, Commercial to Rural
& Industrial, were evaluated by a team of eminent panelists
including Mr. Avinash Kubal, Deputy Director, Maharashtra Nature
Park, Dr. Claire Elouard, General Manager, Nature Trust Foundation,
Architect Nandan Mungekar and Dr. Ashok Joshi, Faculty, Rachana
Sansad’s Institute of Environmental Architecture.
For the first
time, the competition has brought together ideas, technical inputs
and engineering details for harvesting rainwater. It has not only
dispelled myths related to rainwater harvesting in cities, but
also created awareness among students and residents to conserve
and store rainwater. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai
(MCGM) estimates that by 2021, the water shortage in Mumbai will
amount to nearly 2000 million liters daily. This gap in demand
supply can be bridged only by reducing and conserving water and
by rainwater harvesting.
The top four
entries which were ranked in the open category include the Systems
Department of Naval Dockyard, Coloba, the people of Village Khamgaon
Wadi, Maharashtra, St. Catherine’s Home, Andheri and Dayanand
Institute, Solapur. In the Design Category, the top two awards
were given to the students of I.E.S. College of Architecture,
Bandra, and the Kamala Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute of Architecture.
The contact details of winners in each category are as follows:
Open Category
1)
System Department Naval Dockyard – Project.
Admiral
Superintendent, Naval Dockyard,
Lion Gate,
Mumbai – 400 023.
Contact:
Lt. Commander Majumdar
Tel: 22687551
/ 22687624
2)
People of Village Khamgaon Wadi – Project
301, Sudama
Chhatra CGS., Pandurang Wadi Dombivli (East) – 421201
Contact:
Dr. Ajit Gokhale
Tel: 95251
– 2881173, 98209
32969
3)
St. Catherine’s Home
St. Catherine’s
Home,
Veera Desai
Road, Andheri (West)
Mumbai –
400 058.
Contact:
Dr. Ajit Gokhale
Tel: 95251
– 2881173, 98209
32969
4)
Dayanand Institute, Solapur
Address:
D. B. F Dayanand college of Arts and Science
Solapur
– 413 002.
Contact:
Dr. Vadagbalkar S.K. (Representative)
Tel: 0217
2323193 ext. 39
Design Category
1)
I.E.S College of Architecture – Project
V.M.L. Vidya
Sankul, 791, S.K. Marg, Bandra Reclamation,
Mumbai –
400 050.
Contact:
Ashar Pranav
Tel: 26551616
2)
Kamla Raheja College of Architecture
Address
: Vidyanidhi Marg, Juhu Scheme, off 10th Road,
Mumbai –
400 049.
Contact:
Neha Palkar
Tel : 26700918
OPEN CATEGORY
1) Systems department
Naval Dockyard:
Appropriately named
Jal Sanchayan, the rainwater harvesting system project designed
by the Systems Department of the Naval dockyard provides an ideal
example of how awareness and sensitivity among workmen and supervisors
can yield positive results on the environmental front. The Systems
Department, which normally undertakes repairs of warships and
submarines, took up the challenge of bridging their water scarcity
in November 2003. Within 5 months, through diligent planning and
brainstorming, the team, using existing resources, was able to
harvest 450,000 liters of rainwater used for both industrial uses
such as hydraulic testing of pipes and valves as well as non-
industrial uses such as in bathrooms and for gardening. By a combination
of roof water harvesting and charging of existing saline bore
well, the team has plans to harvest 55 lakh liters of water in
the second phase.
2) People of
Village Khamgaon Sutar Wadi:
The rainwater harvesting
system developed in village Khamgaon Wadi is a tribute to the
will & dedication of its inhabitants. Rejecting the government
sponsored Shiv Kalin Paani Sathvan Yojna, which provides
each family with Rs. 20,000 to construct & store rain water,
the villagers after an elementary geological analysis of the region
decided on ground water recharge as the best method for harvesting
rain. By constructing simple structures such as gabions, cordoning
walls around springs & lined ponds, the inhabitants through
their own labor were able to design a rainwater harvesting scheme
at a cost of Rs. 75 per cubic meter of harvested water. The total
water requirement is only 0.86% of harvestable water.
3) St. Catherine’s
Home, Andheri:
The site of the
82 year-old Home housing 360 inmates is abundantly blessed with
water resources with two open wells and two dry wells. Until November
2003, the Home never faced a water shortage despite low municipal
water supply in the region and spending nearly 20,000 liters everyday
on gardening. However, with the proliferation of bore wells in
the region attributed to recent developments around the home,
wells in the home began to go dry and threatened not only the
domestic supply of inmates but also the verdant greenery of the
site. After trying all possible means, the Sisters at St. Catherine
called Dr. Ajit Gokhale, a rain water harvesting consultant who
after careful geological and land use study of site, was able
to revive the age old springs around the home. The site has a
water harvesting potential of nearly 68million liters, almost
2.5 times the water requirement. The total cost of the system
is 1.5 lakhs only. In addition, the Home is planning to recycle
wash water by using simple reed-bed technique costing less than
Rs. 2 lakh.
4) Dayanand
Institute Solapur:
Indigenously designed
through scientific and geology data accumulated by the Geology
department of the Dayanand Institute, the Rain water harvesting
technique used in the Dayanand Institute Campus collects rain
from 270 sq. m of roof area and uses it to recharge ground water,
which is then harvested from a bore well.
With accurate geological data, scientists at the Dayanand
Institute have recharged the ground water at two depths: one at
10 – 15 m depth at the seasonal water zone and at 40 – 50 m level
at the low-yeild water zone. In addition, a soak pit built around
the well allows for collection and percolation of surface run-off
water from a surrounding area of nearly 2000 sq m
DESIGN CATEGORY
1) IES College
of Architecture, Bandra:
Providing a plan
for harvesting rainwater in the 12,000 sq. m. Raja Shivaji Vidyalaya,
Dadar, the students of IES College of Architecture present a detailed
analysis of the acute water crisis in the campus and techniques
to deal with it. These techniques include direct charging of existing
bore well through roof water from terrace, allowing minimum water
to municipal water drain, allowing water from storm water drains
to percolate by constructing bund walls and shallow perforated
vertical bores 29 feet apart as well as horizontal perforated
pipes along recreational ground for water percolation. Students
point out the reason for choosing the building as it would create
social awareness among young minds.
2) Kamala Raheja
Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture (KRVIA), Juhu:
“There is a failure
in understanding nature as an integrated connecting system that
operates regardless of locality. Integrating Urbanization with
ecology through the design process is our primary objective” states
the synopsis of the KRVIA students of architecture. The design
stems from a need to deal with the socio-economic, aesthetic and
environmental conditions prevailing in the slums around the Juhu
Vile Parle Development (JVPD) Scheme. It aims to provide domestic
water supply to slum inhabitants by harvesting roof water from
a covered walkway in Ronson Gardens, recycle the drained water
of existing filthy nallah through a reed-bed system and provide
it for gardening as well as for non-domestic purposes and to send
across a message to citizens to harvest rainwater for the future.
With illustrative sketches and explanations, the design could
well be implemented by NGOs and other institutions having a stake
in the region.
1) IES College
of Architecture, Bandra:
Providing a plan
for harvesting rainwater in the 12,000 sq. m. Raja Shivaji Vidyalaya,
Dadar, the students of IES College of Architecture present a detailed
analysis of the acute water crisis in the campus and techniques
to deal with it. These techniques include direct charging of existing
bore well through roof water from terrace, allowing minimum water
to municipal water drain, allowing water from storm water drains
to percolate by constructing bund walls and shallow perforated
vertical bores 29 feet apart as well as horizontal perforated
pipes along recreational ground for water percolation. Students
point out the reason for choosing the building as it would create
social awareness among young minds.
