Trip to Tilonia"....... Journey to the west

Apart from going to Bhojpur,we also visited the Barefoot college in Tilonia as the people there are very well versed in rain water harvesting techniques and ground water recharge methods. These gentlemen from Tilonia have been harvesting rain water for a long time,at various locations in Rajasthan.So, this trip to Tilonia was meant to garner information regarding the techniques used and get first hand account on rain water harvesting from the people who have performed and perfected it in an arid region like Rajasthan.

As mentioned earlier;we are participating in the Mondialogo Engineering Awards and our project is related to water harvesting and management in Bhojpur. So me and two of my colleagues, Akshat and Ankit, set out for Tilonia while the rest stayed back in Bhojpur in order to survey the area and collect water samples.

In Tilonia we met one Mr.Bhagwat Ram who is the in-charge of the solar PV systems set up in Bhojpur by our seniors.On reaching we came to know that the person in-charge of rain water harvesting module in Tilonia was awayStill;Bhagwat Ramji manged to give us a fairly good idea of the techniques used by the people in Tilonia.Here is a brief outline of the main points of our discussion with Bhagwat Ramji:

1.Rainwater Harvesting:
a. Using the roof of theschool and community halls for collecting rainwater: The roof would require regular maintenance and the collected water will have to be stored in an underground tank lined with stones and cement that make the tank impervious.Bhagwat Ramji claims that this water will require no further purification and will be potable upto three-four months after the monsoons.
The underground reservoirs will have to be fitted with a hand pump at the top in order to draw water.He did mention about the first flush system wherein the first spell of rain water (approx.10mm) had to be flushed out.

b.Harvesting runoff water:The other technique mentioned by him was that of harvesting runoff water which seemed possible after considering the topography of Bhojpur.Herein the flow of
water down the slope is directed through man made channels towards the wells to recharge groundwater.He suggested that we dig a pit next to the well so as to separate the silt out of the water.The silt will get separated by the action of gravity.

c. When we mentioned that in Bhojpur;only the water from the two wells near the pond is potable,he suggested that we dig more wells in the proximity of the pond such that the
appropriate water level in the pond could be ensured.These wells should be dug along the slope of the pond.

d.He mentioned about an R-O plant recently setup in a village nearby but also added that it was very expensive.

2. Solar Water Pumps:

The variants commonly available in the market are;

1800W :- Cost:Rs.4-5 lakh
Efficient upto 20 meters
Capability to draw 1 lakh liters everyday


800W :- Cost:Rs.2.5lakh
Efficient upto 20 to 25 feet.
Capability to draw upto 25000 liters everyday

Apart from the cost;another drawback of using solar pumps,as pointed out by him,was that the consumption of water by the villagers increases on installing solar pumps as it would be easier to obtain water in comparison with the laborious task of using a rope and a vessel to draw water.

3.Solar Lanterns:

a. 7W CFL
10 W module
12V A.C. battery--battery life upto 3 days
Rs.4000

b. 20W PV systems
9W lamps (2)
Rs.8000

c. 40W PV systems
75W lamps (4)
Rs.15000

d. 37W panel (Rs.15000)
2 CFLs (Rs.450 each)
12V-8A charge controller

4.His Suggestions on other issues:

Women Health :He pointed out the fact that rural women have always been hesitant to convey their discomfort or any sort of abnormal body function to doctors or any health incharge.Barefoot College regularly organises medical camps specially for women so as to provide them with basic medication.

Employment :Generating some kind of employment with the active participation of women will be helpful in providing an extra source of income to the villagers.Animal husbandry and handicrafts (something women are good at) were what he suggested.

5.Calculations:

He mentioned that a feet cube of volume was enough to store 27 liters of water.According to our calculations 80 houses (having 4 members each) would theoretically require 6,13,200 lakh liters of water for a year.Hence, the reservoir we are planning to make has to dimensioned taking into consideration the amount of water we hope to harvest when the rainfall is at its peak.


6.Some important contacts:

** Mr.Ram Karanji
The person in-charge of the R.W.H section of the Barefoot College
Contact:01463 288210/288351 - extension 223

After the discussions with Mr.Bhagwat Ramji,we checked out the different types of Rainwater Harvestins Systems they were using.The current system in-use used PVC pipes that were connected in a "T" fashion into the underground tank as collectors. Each tank was provided with a hand pump. This hand pump had a recycle system where the excess water was collected and used for underground recharge.