In Kuttanad region of Kerala, there are canals, lagoons, lakes, backwaters and shallow wells, but only a small portion of this water is suitable for domestic purposes. Surface waters are extremely polluted by intensive agriculture, tourism and other unsanitary activities. The water supply by the Government and private vendors is irregular and unreliable sometimes. Also, villagers can’t be certain of the timing, cost, and quality of the water sources. Access to potable water is a daily concern for the residents; they purchase water for Rs200 to 500 per week. Rainwater harvesting is a sustainable solution that many residents of the State already depend on. A large capacity Ferro-cement-moulded rainwater harvesting tank (RWHT) is an excellent solution for long-term storage of the rainwater collected from the root-tops.
HRDP has installed 15 RWH systems in Alappuzha district. Once these RWH tanks get fully charged in this monsoon season, a total of 1,50,000 liters of potable water can cater to the needs of 75 members of 15 families throughout the year. It will be a sustainable solution for water scarcity of marginal households in the Kuttanad wetland region.