This school in Gujarat conserves rainwater, uses it for drinking purpose

"Formerly we had to call four water tankers every month for the school, which cost us Rs 1,500-1,600, but now we need not do all that because we have conserved water," informed Paresh Prajapati, school principal of Taxila School, situated in Mehsana district in Gujarat.

This school has constructed four water tanks of 1 lakh litres for rainwater harvesting. Prajapati said: "We keep on exploiting Mother Earth due to which today there is a great imbalance in nature. If we look from the water point of view, we see that the water table has plummeted. Water crisis is reaching epic scales. Realizing this, we decided to conserve rainwater for drinking purposes in the school."

He added: "Taking our plan further, we built four water pot-like structures of 25,000 litres capacity each, beneath the school playground. Without using any iron or RCC, the tanks have been made solely out of bricks and plastered inside as well as outside. They have been covered with soil thereafter."

How is the rainwater harvested?

For rainwater harvesting, pipes have been put from the roofs which go to a chamber which is further connected to the pot-like structure with the help of a pipe. The chamber has been constructed in such a fashion that only if the water is required it is sent to the pot or else directed out. Filters are installed to clean water. When rains occur, rainwater is not collected for the first 15-20 minutes. Only after the roofs are cleaned and dirt is removed, the water is directed to the pots. The water in the pots is pumped to the overhead tanks with the help of motors and is then used to drink through taps.

"Our rain harvesting plant has a capacity of 1 lakh litres of water which is sufficient to sustain us for 10-12 months, whereas previously we had to call for water tankers about four times every month and spend Rs 1,500-1,600. We do not need to do all that now. Above all, the water used earlier by us would now be supplied to other people needing it. The positive step taken by our school must be followed by all other schools," said Prajapati.