Save Precious Water

A “Wet” India Attempts To Save Precious Water

New technological innovations boost rainwater harvesting efforts.

As the annual monsoon rains pound many parts of the country after a long, hot summer, saving precious water for future use is the last thing on people’s minds. But actually this is the right time to get into the act of saving water. This is because nearly 80 percent of the annual rainfall occurs during the June-September season. Most of the water is wasted as runoffs into the sea and India faces acute shortage of water in cities and villages during the rest of the year.
This story need not be repeated every year. After all, India is one of the wettest countries on earth with the annual average rainfall in excess of 900 millimeters. The village of Mawsynram in the northeastern state of Meghalaya is one of the world’s wettest places with a precipitation of 11,871 mm. Of course, India is a land of contrasts. Some of our planet’s driest places are also in the country with villages in the western desert state of Rajasthan having less than 10 mm rainfall in a year.
Water is revered in Indian culture and hence it is made available to all literally free. This has led to non-appreciation of the precious nature of this resource and hence it is wasted enormously. However, of late, the burgeoning population and the ever-increasing demand for water has finally forced people to look at ways to save water. Urban centers in India are dependent on water pumped in from hundreds of kilometers away from big dams. Thanks to many awareness campaigns, rainwater harvesting has caught public imagination in many cities. In fact some cities have made it mandatory for all public and private buildings of a certain size to have rainwater harvesting system.
This sudden interest in rainwater harvesting systems have spurred many technological innovations that are redefining the way rainwater is harvested in Indian cities. “Water Replenishing Technologies,” (see p. 34) is a portrayal of some of the latest innovations that are spurring thousands of Indian urban homes to take pride in announcing their “water-friendliness”.

Not wasting an abundantly available resource such as water is an admirable activity. Then what about the efforts to use existing waste into useful products. Such efforts too are equally important. “Powering Home From Waste” (see p. 74) is the report about a pioneering effort by Subrat Kar, a chemical engineer in a remote village in the eastern state of Orissa, to convert all forms of organic waste into energy using a microbial fuel cell. Kar has demonstrated lighting up a 118 watt lamp for two hours using a prototype and has plans to build bigger cells if funds are available.
As these humble technological innovations take place on the ground, India’s space engineers have achieved another landmark by launching a small communication satellite using a home-made launch vehicle. Though small, the 1,410 kilogram communication satellite was put in a low 1,000 kilometer polar orbit by the PSLV rocket. Using an indigenously built powerful computer, Indian engineers managed to execute some of the tricky maneuvers and boost the satellite to its geosynchronous orbit at 36,000 km. This is a creditable achievement. Otherwise, India would have spent three to four times more to launch a more powerful satellite using a European rocket. India’s own heavy satellite launcher is undergoing intensive trials after the failure of its last two missions due to some technical glitches.
While the nation basks in the glory of a successful launch, the Technology Review India team also has some good news to share about the magazine. The magazine has been conferred an Excellence Award at the latest Asian Publishing Congress held in Bangkok, Thailand. The award jury was impressed by the Photo Essay features in the magazine and also the unique section of Demo. Also, the overall design and layout of the magazine caught the jury’s attention when it was decided to bestow the honor on Technology Review India. In the last 12-18 months, we have managed to capture some of the interesting aspects of technological developments in the country through Photo Essays and Demos. To be selected as one of the best from among publications from 70 peer publishing companies in the Asian region is a great morale booster for the Technology Review India team.
As we scour the length and breadth of our vast country for unearthing the innovations that matter a lot to our people, this award will spur the team to double the efforts to be the catalyst in the evolving innovation economy. Do write and tell me more what else can be done at sureshn@cybermedia.co.in. —Narayanan Suresh