The papers covered a wide range of issues on rain water harvesting for irrigation and for domestic use. In addition, there were some remarkable experiences of community-based efforts by NGOs and state governments, like Madhya Pradesh, to restore existing system and implement integrated micro-watershed development programmes in rural areas. The role of water harvesting in urban area was also highlighted through experiences in cities across the world.

Discussions in the conference highlighted the importance of achieving an informed consensus on design, construction and management of the facilities, and in sharing the costs and benefits among various groups. The conference promoted for active and democratic community-based institutions, where the government’s role is limited to creating an enabling environment and providing necessary technical support for community institutions to take root and flourish. In order to facilitate them, participants in the conference recommended programmes on ‘water literacy’ to make communities and people understand, efficient use of water and ways of conserving it. The need for strong community institutions to implement the principles effectively and fairly was agreed upon. The conference recommended the creation of a National Water Harvesting Network to pursue these ideas further. This Network will not only share information to revive and develop tradition wisdom on water harvesting together with modern inputs, but will also serve as a forum for appropriate changes in policies, programmes and institutional activities.

A month after the conference, in November 1998, CSE put together a team of water harvesting experts, including Anil Agarwal and V S Saravanan of CSE, hydrologist R N Athavale from the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) in Hyderabad, Rajendra Singh from the Tarun Bharat Sangh in Alwar, R Jeyakumar, a builder from Chennai whose company, Rajparis Civil Construction Limited, has constructed roof-top water harvesting structures, and Ujjwal Pradhan, a water expert from Nepal.

The team met Gopal Gandhi, secretary to the President, and came up with some interesting figures. The President’s Estate receives 856.8 million litres of water annually. At 135 litres per capita, this water can meet the demands of 17,000 people for a whole year. Harvesting the rainwater falling in a 2-hectare area of the Rashtrapati Bhavan can meet the demand of 300 people every year.

The team hopes to put together a system which will catch enough rainwater to meet the need of 10,000 people of the estate. It will serve as a model for the nation. It is currently studying the topography of the estate, the water supply, demand patterns, and the existence of drains and nalas in the region. The aim is to reduce dependence on the New Delhi Municipal Corporation supply, and recharge the groundwater. The estate currently uses untreated water from the Yamuna — full of contaminants — for certain non-drinking needs. Borewells and handpumps are also used.

The Directory will help like-minded individuals and groups to interact and share information to harness capacity and knowledge in water harvesting. The current directory, consisting of 353 individuals and institutions in India and 68 water harvesters abroad, will be published by the end of January 1999.