Vidya Prabodhani college is in a 3850 sqm area on laterite plateau. The building has three floors with a central quadrangle and classrooms on each floor. Next to the building is a 4000 sqm playground. The building accommodates students from class one to degree college. A few other details about the college are given below.
Location: Porvorim, Goa
Run by: Praboshan Education Society
Total occupancy: 2893 students + staff
Location of Vidya Prabodhini college
1.0 Situation before intervention
Sources of water
The main source of water is a borewell located in the playground. The college also has a municipal water supply connection.
Water storage
Water from the borewell is pumped into a 60KL sump that is located at the entrance of the playground. Water from this sump is further pumped into two overhead tanks of 10KL capacity each. This water is then passed through Aquaguard filters for drinking purposes.
Water infrastructure at Vidya Prabodhini college
Water demand: 60 KLD
Utilities of water: Water is used for drinking, handwashing, in the toilet, washing utensils in the canteen, cleaning and to water the garden including potted plants.
Left: 3-Storey Building; Right: Borewell
Left: 10000×2 OHT; Right: 60,000L Sump
Left: Downtake pipes; Right: Canteen
Water filter
2.0 Interventions undertaken
2.1 Rainwater harvesting
Project funded by: Purvankara and Provide Housing Limited
Annual rainfall in Goa: ~3000mm
Given the high average rainfall in Goa, even a part of the roof considered for RWH is sufficient to meet their water demand during the monsoon season. Using harvested rainwater will reduce stress on the borewell as well as the municipal water.
Rooftop area considered for RWH: 1221 sqm
annual runoff from this area: 3207 KL
Satisfies the water demand for: 55 days of the year
Tasks undertaken
The following tasks were undertaken for the project.
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Plumbing: Connecting all the downpipes and passing the rainwater through rainy filters.
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New sump: A new sump of 3KL (dimensions: 6ftx6ftx3ft) serves as a filter and storage for small showers
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Existing sump: The overflow from this is connected to the existing 60KL sump
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Recharge Well: Once the 60KL sump is filled with the overflow from the 3KL sump, the water will overflow to a Recharge Well with dimension of 5ft x 24ft (Static volume of 13KL)
Left: Rainy filer; Right: Recharge well
2.2 Training and awareness program
Regular Maintenance of the system
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A training session was organized for regular maintenance of the RWH system.
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In the same session, a schedule was planned for the maintenance of the system.
Usage of pH meter, TDS meter and H2S vials
A training for the staff was organized to
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check the pH, TDS and bacterial contamination in the rain water using hand held meters and H2S vials.
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pH meter, TDS meter, Calibration solution for pH and TDS meter and H2S vials were handed over to the institution to check the quality of water on a regular basis.
2.3 Planned activities for the future
The following activities are planned for the project in the upcoming days
Training
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Awareness sessions for the students and staff.
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Awareness sessions for the panchayat and locals around the institution.
Demand management
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Installation of Aerators.
Messaging
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Installation of a communication board that informs about the RWH system and its objectives.
3.0 Conclusion
Given its location, Vidya Prabodhini college is in a pretty good position to harvest rainwater. This can work as a great model for rooftop rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge using recharge wells for the panchayat and the surrounding villages and towns. Being a college, this is also a great place for the future generations to learn about water management and conservation.