IIM Ranchi: Water Management Project Rasabeda

Under the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan program by Govt. Of India, students of IIM Ranchi worked on Rasabera Drinking Water Project under “Recharge Ranchi, Jalshakti Movement” in association with GRAM and Deeksha NGO. This project will help 117 residents of Rasabeda village situated in the hilly area of Chota Nagpur plateau from acute water shortfall. Due to changes in climatic conditions, lack of proper roads and poor infrastructure the villages will yet again suffer from drought and water problems. This project is aimed to solve the water crisis to meet the residents’ daily water needs.

Objective

• Development of a rainwater harvesting tank for the school building to meet water needs for community purposes.
• Collecting rainwater from rooftop and from nearby surface water flowing from the hills to the main tank through Pipelines also recharging the aquifer of a nearby dried hand pump.
• Setting up the Water committee to ensure the use of sustainable practices groundwater recharge by rainwater.
• Ensure safe drinking water by Water quality testing and purification.

Problem Analysis

Due to rocky terrain, most of the water in this area is lost in surface runoff and some absorbed by soil percolated in rock bed below forming natural aquifers. These aquifers are made by rocks acting as sponges. The nearest water source, the whole village is dependent on such aquifer called Chua (local language).

With no proper roads and poor infrastructure, the villagers rely on naturally made aquifers which are often contaminated with minerals and unsafe for drinking. Diarrhea is a major health issue for children and adults.

Solution Provided

This project is aimed towards rising rooftop rainwater storage practices on 3R’s 

Recharge - The school roof will collect 20,000 Litres of rainwater in an underground RWH tank. A pipeline from the aquifer will be connected to the storage tank in the school to maximize its use.

Retention - The rainwater will be channelized into the storage tank and the overflow will be maintained by the use of hand pumps above the tank. This ensures proper storage and importance of using recharge practices to secure water for the use of water for drinking, cooking, washing and other domestic purposes.

Reuse - A water committee body will be set up to chlorinate the water and test the quality of water for any pathogens and increase in any minerals for drinking purposes

Project layout Storage Tank