Rainwater harvesting and water literacy in Meghalaya schools
As part of the Swachh Bharat Mission and its sub-program directed towards schools in particular (Swachh Vidyalaya Abhiyan), many toilets were constructed in schools in Meghalaya. However it was observed that many of the toilets were not functional due to lack of water, and in general water availability seemed to be an issue at the schools. Given that the average annual rainfall of the state is 2000 – 3000 mm, rainwater harvesting for storage was considered as an option to meet the water requirements.
In partnership with Earth & Us with financial support from ONGC, Biome designed and installed rooftop rainwater harvesting systems and conducted workshops in four Meghalaya schools in April and August 2017. The first system was installed and a workshop conducted at Umthli SSA Lower Primary School in the East Khasi Hills, followed by Mawkyrwat Govt. Lower Primary School, Mawkyrwat, Morning Star Higher Secondary School, Nongpoh and Sibsingh Higher Secondary School, Nongstoin. Biome was closely involved in the design and installation of the RWH system at Umthli School, while the other three systems were installed by the local Water Resources Department.
The main objective of the workshops was to create awareness about the viability and suitability of rainwater harvesting systems in communities and villages of Meghalaya through pilot installations in schools and to impart technical knowhow in installation and maintenance to all stakeholders involved. The stakeholders included faculty from the identified schools, representatives from the Planning Commission, the Water Resources Department, the Meghalaya Education Department, the Meghalaya Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), and the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA), Biome, the local communities and Earth & Us.
The activities included in the workshops were as follows:
- Engagement with students to create awareness about the importance of water and water conservation
- Engagement with the local village community and the staff / faculty of the school where the workshop was being conducted, regarding prevailing water issues in the village and particularly in the school, the process of rainwater harvesting and maintenance of the system
- Discussions with all the representatives of the schools in the district were held. The discussions were attended by the Chairperson of the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority
- All the school representatives and relevant stakeholders were shown the rainwater harvesting system implemented in the pilot school
- Rainwater harvesting storage calculations and a brief design were done for all the represented schools through an advisory clinic mode
Earth & Us put out these reports of the activities undertaken in April 2017 and August 2017.
Water management workshop for Tripura schools
Biome participated as experts on RWH in a workshop organised by ARPAN Society (a local NGO from Tripura) and Earth & Us from Auroville on July 16, 2016, which was attended by the Education Minister of Tripura, other officials and several members of the management teams of the schools.
The workshop addressed the approach to tackle the following issues:
- To provide solutions for making water available for toilets in water scarce areas
- To take steps to achieve the larger goal of providing access to safe sanitation to all children for better health and hygiene
- To optimise the use of rainwater through rainwater harvesting initiatives at school level using low cost techniques (Tripura has 100 days rainfall annually of around 2200mm)
Rainwater harvesting and water literacy in Meghalaya schools
As part of the Swachh Bharat Mission and its sub-program directed towards schools in particular (Swachh Vidyalaya Abhiyan), many toilets were constructed in schools in Meghalaya. However it was observed that many of the toilets were not functional due to lack of water, and in general water availability seemed to be an issue at the schools. Given that the average annual rainfall of the state is 2000 – 3000 mm, rainwater harvesting for storage was considered as an option to meet the water requirements.
In partnership with Earth & Us with financial support from ONGC, Biome designed and installed rooftop rainwater harvesting systems and conducted workshops in four Meghalaya schools in April and August 2017. The first system was installed and a workshop conducted at Umthli SSA Lower Primary School in the East Khasi Hills, followed by Mawkyrwat Govt. Lower Primary School, Mawkyrwat, Morning Star Higher Secondary School, Nongpoh and Sibsingh Higher Secondary School, Nongstoin. Biome was closely involved in the design and installation of the RWH system at Umthli School, while the other three systems were installed by the local Water Resources Department.
The main objective of the workshops was to create awareness about the viability and suitability of rainwater harvesting systems in communities and villages of Meghalaya through pilot installations in schools and to impart technical knowhow in installation and maintenance to all stakeholders involved. The stakeholders included faculty from the identified schools, representatives from the Planning Commission, the Water Resources Department, the Meghalaya Education Department, the Meghalaya Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), and the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA), Biome, the local communities and Earth & Us.
The activities included in the workshops were as follows:
- Engagement with students to create awareness about the importance of water and water conservation
- Engagement with the local village community and the staff / faculty of the school where the workshop was being conducted, regarding prevailing water issues in the village and particularly in the school, the process of rainwater harvesting and maintenance of the system
- Discussions with all the representatives of the schools in the district were held. The discussions were attended by the Chairperson of the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority
- All the school representatives and relevant stakeholders were shown the rainwater harvesting system implemented in the pilot school
- Rainwater harvesting storage calculations and a brief design were done for all the represented schools through an advisory clinic mode
Earth & Us put out these reports of the activities undertaken in April 2017 and August 2017.
Water management workshop for Tripura schools
Biome participated as experts on RWH in a workshop organised by ARPAN Society (a local NGO from Tripura) and Earth & Us from Auroville on July 16, 2016, which was attended by the Education Minister of Tripura, other officials and several members of the management teams of the schools.
The workshop addressed the approach to tackle the following issues:
- To provide solutions for making water available for toilets in water scarce areas
- To take steps to achieve the larger goal of providing access to safe sanitation to all children for better health and hygiene
- To optimise the use of rainwater through rainwater harvesting initiatives at school level using low cost techniques (Tripura has 100 days rainfall annually of around 2200mm)