Water

Soil water

Water affects soil formation, structure, stability and erosion but is of primary concern with respect to plant growth. Water is essential to plants for four reasons: It constitutes 85%-95% of the plant’s protoplasm. It is essential for photosynthesis. It is the solvent in which nutrients are carried to, into and throughout the plant. It provides the turgidity by which the plant keeps itself in proper position. In addition, water alters the soil profile by dissolving and redepositing minerals, often at lower levels, and possibly leaving the soil sterile in the case of extreme rainfall and drainage. In a loam soil, solids constitute half the volume, air one-quarter of the volume, and water one-quarter of the volume, of which only half will be available to most plants.

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Rainwater harvesting in Kerala

There are good opportunities for Rainwater harvesting in Kerala because Kerala is located in a geographical area with two rainy seasons. Kerala faces severe water scarcity between February and mid May every year. During summer, there are drinking water shortages. During this period drinking water and other water purposes become unavailable. This is expected in the coming years. In spite of 44 rivers and world’s largest water well density, per capita surface water and groundwater availability of the State is lower than that of arid States of India. Moreover, Kerala has one of the lowest per capita rainwater availability in the Indian sub-continent and it is still decreasing over the time, even though it receives 3000 mm of rainfall, which is around 3 times the Indian national average. The high variations in spatial and temporal rainfall add to the complexity of problems associated with water management faced by the State. Overview Rainwater harvesting, irrespective of the technology used, essentially means harvesting and storing water in days of abundance, for use in lean days. Storing of rainwater can be done in two ways; (i) storing in an artificial storage and (ii) in the soil media as groundwater. The former is more specifically called roof water harvesting and is rather a temporary measure, focusing on human needs providing immediate relief from drinking water scarcity, while the latter has the potential to provide sustainable relief from water scarcity, addressing the needs of all living classes in nature. Through the proposed individual rainwater harvesting, units will be made available to the beneficiaries. Rain water harvesting has gained popularity in Kerala through various projects implemented by different agencies. The Rain Water Harvesting Campaign of the Government and publicity by various media are responsible for popularizing rain water harvesting in the state. Rainwater harvesting is viewed as a …

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