Traditional Water Harvesting
Traditional Techniques for
Water Harvesting
Madhukar Upadhya, Institute for Social and Environmental Transition- Nepal (ISET-N), madhukaru@gmail.com
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watershed collects precipitation, stores part In the Himalayan region, most of the rain and snow
of it, and directs the remaining fl ow of runoff generally falls during a short period, and in some places
components to a common river or lake. Most even then only sparsely. Thus to make water available
of the rainwater that falls on upland areas fl ows away for human use, the water must be collected or ‘harvested’
as surface runoff. Only a small portion goes into the when rain or runoff is available. Traditional techniques of
soil to recharge soil moisture – ‘green water’ and water harvesting have played a vital role in supporting
an even smaller part sinks deeper to recharge the the rural population in water-scarce areas (Agarwal and
groundwater aquifers, fl owing out later at the base of Narain 1997). The techniques chosen depend on the
the incline in the form of springs and seepage water – amount and timing of rain, and the soil type, geology,
‘blue water’ – that feed the streams (Upadhya 2009). and topography of the area. Some typical traditional
As a result of this seepage, the low lying areas of a techniques used for harvesting rainwater, groundwater,
watershed are generally water-rich for most of the and surface water, are described in the following, and
year, whereas the upland areas are usually water- their potential for meeting the challenges facing water
poor, even in areas that receive high rainfall. managers is discussed.
A village pond is enjoyed by cattle and tourists alike, Nepal (below); Community water harvesting in Pakistan (right)
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