Kannur: Orders to recharge wells and build ferro cement tanks to store rainwater have been pouring in at ‘Susthira-Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Action’, an NGO working in the water management field. The Kannur-based agency has so far recharged more than 7,000 open wells in the state with rainwater. Started 10 years ago, Susthira has recharged more than 1000 wells under government programmes such as Western Ghats Development Programme (WGDP) and Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP). “We collect the rainwater on the roof through a pipe in a filtering chamber adjacent to the well. The filtered water is sent to the bottom of the well where the water originates,” explains Sunny Aashariparambil, managing director of Susthira.
Kottakkal Municipality in Malappuram asked that 2,000 wells be recharged and the work of 400 wells have already started. “The municipality will provide Rs 5,000 as subsidy to each well which undergoes recharging. We are getting good feedback from customers where work has already been done,” remarked Kottakkal Municipality Chairman K.K Nasar. Kadannapalli-Panapuzha gram panchayat has asked that 90 wells be recharged. Vazhathopp gram panchayat in Idukki has ordered the construction of ferro cement tanks having 10,000 litre capacity to cover 130 houses. Gram panchayats like Aalakode, Chengalaayi, Sreekandapuram, Kolayad etc have also sought the expertise of Susthira. According to Sunny, a 1500 square feet house would receive 5 lakh litres of rainwater on the roof annually.
“This water will be reached to the well without losing a drop. A family needs 500 litres of water for daily use and the annual usage is 1,82,500 litres. We can store 5 lakh litres of water during monsoon. Water collected through summer showers ensures additional storage,” Mr Sunny said. He claims that only 10 per cent of rainwater falls on the ground and would percolate down and reach the bottom of the earth. The filtering layer consists of charcoal, pebbles out of sand, sand and tile pieces. The setting up of the recharging system is for a lifetime at a cost of Rs 12,000. “The only maintenance is to take out the filtering materials annually, clean it and reinsert them into the chamber,” Sunny says.
