We all speak about water conservation, recharging the soil, and rainwater harvesting at length. Here is a second snippet I want to share after I wrote the first blog on my Kerala Diaries.
Kerala is a state blessed with rains throughout the year. Monsoon, return monsoon, intermittent summer rains, rains due to depression in the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and so on. The months we really don’t receive rainfall were perhaps limited to March and April until five years ago.
In the recent past, the rain pattern has changed dramatically because of climate change. For the past few years, the state has witnessed acute water shortage during the summers starting Feb till May. What is causing this?
Considering the abundant rains, water scarcity was unheard of till about 2012-2013. However, unplanned construction, concretization of open areas which prevent #waterrecharge is leading to water scarcity, and gradual #deforestation are leading to the chaos.
My home in Kerala is on an elevated terrain. And the slope of the topography makes it easy for water to seep into the soil and store water. My father, who witnessed concretization around us, had forecast natural catastrophe in the neighbourhood. His prediction was accurate. The region faces water shortage during the summers as all the courtyards have been covered with pavement blocks or concretized. These prevent the water from seeping into the soil, and now; there is a dearth of natural resources that can retain or harvest water.
Every drop of water that falls in our house and surrounding areas seeps into the soil. A small boundary wall prevents the water from draining off the compound and instead diverts directly to the well. End result? In summer, when my neighbours face acute water issue, this well is replenished with fresh water.
Lessons learnt:
Optimize naturalresources,
Water recharge is a must,
Focus on soil and waterconservation,
Understand and respect your environment