Can you guess what we are talking about? If I ask you what is the true wealth that humans need to protect, you might say lots of money in the bank or diamonds. But have you ever thought that our true wealth is the source of our existence. Without it, we  cannot survive. Hmm! Now you have guessed it right it is water.

All the rain water seeps underground and collects in ‘aquifers'(underground stores of water). Imagine this aquifer as a cookie jar where you just keep pulling out the cookies and do not refill. What will happen? Eventually, the jar will be empty and no more cookies. In earlier times, people pulled out less water and more rain fell than todays times, therefore, the rain water seeped back in the land as there were a lot of trees and free land.

We now have tubewells and borewells to pull out water at any time. Deforestation of trees and increase in cemented areas have caused this rainwater to get wasted flooding the areas and then eventually drying up. RainWater harvesting is an idea of recharging groundwater. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) essentially means collecting rainwater and storing it for later use. Not only does this stop groundwater depletion, it also raises the water table. This artificial recharging stops the drop in groundwater levels and conserves surface water run-off during the monsoons.

RWH is becoming a compulsory part of new building structures. This Rainwater can be used for the purposes of flushing toilets, laundry, washing cars and floors, construction activities and gardening. In some cases, where the storage tank is really clean it can be used for drinking purposes also.

Do you want to help? You can start by storing some of the rain water and use it to water your plants.