LETS GET LOST IN A WORLD MADE OF BOOKS, COFFEE AND RAINY DAYS
For me, this sounds like an awesome day. Most times books were replaced with the dreaded Chemistry and Physics text books. But otherwise days like these were pure bliss. The smell of wet mud in my mom’s lovely blooming flower pots, the streets twinkling with mesmerising sights and sounds of the gentle pitter patter of rain gradually turning into a tropical out-pour, kids busy getting their paper-boats ready, older ones zooming on their cycles/bikes enjoying the wonderful monsoons. All that we as kids thought about were, wearing our cute boots and jumping in the puddles.
But it’s an ever changing environment, thanks to a certain amount of irresponsible behaviour by mankind. One of many effects of this is water scarcity. The need of the hour is to collect and reuse rainwater in a smart and forward thinking way….small ways also, to deal with drier times.
Rainwater harvesting is an ancient practice. Still in use in many rural places throughout the world, it is making a comeback in urban centres as well as an additional source of water to meet the scarcity most of us are facing. One small step but a giant leap is what will happen when we try to save and recycle rainwater for a greener future…ours as well as the kids future.
Most common, easy, low cost and small scale method with minimum expertise is the ROOFTOP RAINWATER HARVESTING METHOD. The rainwater is collected on rooftops of apartments/buildings and transported to an easily accessible storage reserve. This will help supplement the regular water sources when they are scarce or when water of low quality during the monsoons. This water is ready to use for outdoor purposes but will need some treatment if used for consumption. Rain water can also be stored in either a barrel, drum or big pail by kids to help them value the importance of rainwater.
Involving the kids in using this collected rainwater will teach them to save more in small little ways to be able to make water sustainable product. Some simple ways to reuse rainwater outdoors are:
Watering the garden. Free of minerals and chemicals that are found in treated water, rainwater is pure hydration for the flora.
Washing your cycles/cars. Rainwater helps to rinse off stubborn pollen, bugs and even bring back a bit of shine back to old weathered paint.
POND FILLERS. Since it contains no chlorine rainwater can be used for filling garden ponds, bird baths and irrigating sensitive plants as well.
CLEANING PURPOSES OUTSIDE THE HOUSE. This water can be used to wash off the outside walls of your home. It is also effective in cleaning your windows and glass doors of mild dew, mold, cobwebs and birds or bat poo.
TOILET FLUSHING. It’s about flushing rainwater, not money, down your toilets. Again helps in effective cleaning of the bathroom and their fixtures.
LAUNDRY. Since rainwater is very low in the amount of minerals it contains it is the best water that you can wash your laundry with..
CLEANING SHOES. Get the kids to wash their shoes with a little soap and then rinse them with the rainwater they have collected.
We all know that it’s very important to prepare ourselves for the rainy season, but its equally important to learn to appreciate water from the skies ‘coz it can help fulfil multiple uses. By recycling rainwater even in mundane activities at home we do our share in helping the environment as well.