Design of Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting Structure in a University Campus

Abstract

Rain water harvesting (RWH) is an excellent technique of water conservation for future needs and also to recharge groundwater. Due to the alarming population burden, climate change, uneven distribution of rainfall and abrupt variation of meteorological parameters, the surface and ground water resources are continuously depleting in India. Hence adoption of different water conservation techniques at individual, institute and community level has become imperative to cater to the needs. This study was aimed at designing a rooftop rainwater harvesting structure for the Amity University Mumbai, located in Maharashtra state of India. Out of the possible catchment areas, the main building was selected as the required catchment area for rainwater harvesting considering the water demand in university campus and the supply. Further, different parts of the RWH system were designed based on standard guidelines It was observed from the analysis that implementation of RWH system in Amity University Mumbai campus can resolve the water scarcity problems during non-monsoon season by storing a huge quantity of 6109.42 m3 in a year in the university campus. This initiative can increase the water supply for construction work, gardening and also will help in artificial recharge of ground water thus enriching both the surface and the ground water resources.