Water is the prime natural resources in Agriculture, Industrial and domestic sectors. The demand for water
is increasing day by day due to population growth, rapid industrialization, and enhanced food production to feed the masses. In order to meet the supply-demand gap, we must utilize each and every drop of available water. The water resources must be conserved and they must be used more efficiently. To tackle the problem of water scarcity, rain water harvesting is a very good method. Rain water harvesting (RWH) is the collection and storage of rainfall, run off from any catchments or watersheds for later use. The two main techniques of RWH are: 1) Storage on surface for future use 2)
Recharge of ground water. Check dams, tanks etc. can be used for storing the rainwater on the surface. The structures like wells, pits, trenches, hand pumps, injection wells etc. can be used for ground recharge. RWH ensures a continuous supply of water. Rain water is the purest form of water. Where there is problems like salt, salinity etc. it ensures the availability of good water and it is very reliable in areas where only hard water is present. It helps for energy conservation as the centralized pumping of water to overhead tank is not needed. The tanks for RWH can be easily constructed with local materials and labour. Moreover, high expertise is not required. Hence the investment required is very low. The system is within the reach of the people and it acts as a reserve source in emergency situations like blocking of public water supply system.