Alternative Rain Water Harvesting : Thesis Project

THESIS PROJECT 2019 PROJECT TITLE

Alternate Rain Water Harvesting System STUDENT: TANISHA ACHARYA PROJECT:

After The Storm

SPONSOR:

Self-Initiated

PROGRAM:

Undergraduate Professional Programme

AWARD:

Industrial Arts and Design Practices

GUIDES:

Sudipto Dasgupta

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND PLAGIARISM STATEMENT I, TANISHA ACHARYA, hereby declare that the content of this student documentation and final design/artwork submission is my own original work and has not been plagiarised in full or part from previously published/designed/manufactured material or does not even contain substantial propositions of content which have been accepted for an award of any other degree or diploma of any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in this thesis project. I also declare that the intellectual content of this Thesis Project is my own original work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project’s design and conception or in style and presentation is acknowledged and that this thesis project (or part of it) will not be submitted as assessed work in any other academic course.

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT I, TANISHA ACHARYA, hereby grant Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology the right to archive and to make available my Thesis Project in whole or in part in the institute’s databank and website, and for non-commercial use in all forms of media, now and hereafter known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act.

Name: TANISHA ACHARYA Signature: Date:

THESIS PROJECT 2019

Examiner 1 (name and signature):

PROJECT TITLE

Examiner 2 (name and signature):

Alternate Rain Water Harvesting System STUDENT:

TANISHA ACHARYA

PROJECT:

After The Storm

SPONSOR:

Self-Initiated

PROGRAM: Undergraduate Professional Programme AWARD:

Industrial Arts and Design Practices

Final Examination Panel COMMENTS:

Examiner 3 (name and signature): Date: Academic Dean:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to thank Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, and my dean Mr. Rustam vania for the opportunity to work on this project.

I would also like to express my gratitude towards the faculty of Srishti, in particular Mr. Sudipto Dasgupta, my project guide, and Mrs. Naga Nandini for the facilitation and guidance that they have provided me in the duration of this design project.

I would like to thank SELCO foundation and IGSSS, both NGOs who have provided the space, people, and resources to conduct research for this project. I would also like to thank Ms. Tulip Sinha and Ms. Ilse Maessen, for their incisive feedback post jury 1 and 2. I would like to thank the Srishti librarians for helping me find appropriate research material concerning this project. I am grateful to Mr. Sebastian, Mr. Praveen and Mr. Shravan from the N6 Workshop for guiding me and helping me complete my prototype on time.

Last but not least, I would like to thank my parents and friends for their feedback, support, critique and help, without which completing this project would have been impossible.

PROJECT PROPOSAL Introduction Floods are a common occurrence in most parts of India, especially in the monsoon months of June, July and August. Multiple studies show that the deforestation in the Brahmaputra watershed has caused an increase in the damage that floods cause every year. While the Brahmaputra flows in multiple states, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam suffer the worst floods, almost every year. Floods and similar natural disasters are violent in nature and often leave a wake of destruction in their aftermath. This makes recovery a long and tedious process. The obvious solution would be to move away from such floodprone areas and find livelihood elsewhere. But what about people who do not have a choice? Is there a way to ease their damage and repercussions of floods, and help people gain a semblance of normalcy faster, after the damage is done.

Taking the context of Lakhimpur district, in Assam, this project will revolve around creating solutions to help the people living in flood affected areas.

Background Research and Significance Usually triggered by heavy rainfall, and worsened by the regular deforestation along the Brahmaputra basin, Assam is regularly affected by floods. According to a report released by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) during the floods in 2016, Lakhimpur district in Assam was the worst flood hit district, with around 21,200 people affected. The same flood report released on 28 July 2016 states: · Districts affected in Assam: 22 · People affected: 17.94 lakh · Total Crop area affected: 2,13,251.52 hectares · Most affected districts: Morigaon, Jorhat, Dhubri, Barpeta, Lakhimpur, Golaghat, Sonitpur, Goalpara, Bongaigaon, Dhemaji and Darrang · No. of Relief Camps opened: 517 · Relief Distribution Centres: 186 – sheltering 2,29,544 inmates

Images of floods in Assam

Secondary research infograph

During floods, the government undertakes measures such as setting up relief camps, providing temporary shelter, distribution of clean food and drinking water, distribution of relief kits, and so on. The government also takes up projects such as construction of embankments and flood walls, anti-erosion and town protection works, flood forecasting and warning, and so on. But oftentimes, measures such the building of these embankments provides little to no relief. Further measures must be undertaken by the government to mitigate the damage caused by floods.

For the project primary research was conducted in flood affected villages located in North Lakhimpur district in Assam. Primary research was mainly conducted through the following methods: Priority Cards: Using vector image representation of the main resources lost/ needed during floods (like food, water, communication, shelter, etc.,), we asked people to pick and prioritise based on their needs and availability of resources to them.

Picture Cards: Using pictures of previous year’s flood in the same area, the villagers were asked to describe them in order to jumpstart storytelling and create in us a better understanding of the user and build empathy.

Interviews: Through informal conversations the villagers seemed to open up about not only their problems, but the village, their culture, their connect to the land, and so on.

Participatory Mapping: By asking the villagers to map their area, we gained a better understanding of not only the village but also the population of the village and surrounding areas, how trade occurs, where the business hubs are, what places are the worst affected by floods and so on.

From the primary research done in Lakhimpur, it is apparent that while perennial/ annual floods are common, the people living there are used to the flooding and take precautions to save their houses and belongings during the flood. Most houses are built on stilts, with existing mechanisms to make a second floor within the house itself in case water enters the house as well. Existing solutions include rescue shelters installed by SELCO, which are powered by solar panels. While some residents do use the shelter during floods, they only provide so much relief. Some houses have sturdy boats to help move around when the water levels rise, while others resort to rafts made from locally available material like bamboo and banana stem.

In villages where the water currents are mellow, bamboo bridges are installed to move from one house to the other. When the floods hit, NGOs do provide the villagers with torches and inflatable boats, but by the time the next round of floods come (which is the next year), the survival kit is either lost or rendered useless. Other solutions designed by the villagers themselves, include a portable stove that makes cooking inside the house easier, and is also simultaneously used for drying clothes during floods, using polythene bags to save important documents, and so on. Despite these solutions, villagers still face difficulty and hardship during floods. What is essential is design interventions to pre-existing situation, so that the villagers there can easily use/ adapt to the solution in order to provide some relief from the flood.

Key Findings While the primary research provided us with a rich resource of information, some of the key findings are listed below, · The rescue shelters built by SELCO has a capacity for over a 100 people while the village population is 480. · People prefer to move into houses which are not flooded by water or build a second floor within their house rather than leave their homes. · While people are aware of when the flood will hit, there is no proper arrangement made for storage of food and provision for clean drinking water. People make do and for the few days the flood strikes until relief from the government and NGO arrives. · Relief is usually provided after the flood and not during. · Water inside the stilt houses stays for a few days while the water level in the village areas can take anywhere between 3-5 months to clear. During this time, schools remain shut, and normal life as is comes to a standstill. · Non-existence of a waste disposal system contributes to further contamination of water during floods. · No hospitals or clinics are present near the villages. Locals depend on traditional forms of medicine like locally grown medicinal herbs. · During the floods, food, potable water, energy, hygiene and sanitation are major areas where people face problems especially because diseases like malaria, typhoid, dysentery become common, and clinics and medicines are not readily available.

Priority Cards

Picture Cards

Participatory Mapping

Interviews

Abstract When floods strike, the first things to disappear are basic necessities like shelter, electricity, food, and clean water. This not only leads to loss of life, but also extreme suffering for those alive. Contamination of water can lead to transmission of diseases like cholera, dysentery, and typhoid, and is said to cause over half a million deaths annually, worldwide (World Health Organisation, 2018). Yet this is largely preventable. The paradox of floods is that there is water everywhere but not a drop to drink.

Design Brief Done in collaboration with SELCO, this project will deal with solutions relating to potable water in the context of floods, using renewable energy and frugal resources. To design a solution for potable (drinking) water accessibility for marginalised communities in flood affected areas.

Direction and Approach · Use natural methods and materials (Preferably locally available materials) to obtain clean water. · Try and make it easily accessible especially during floods. · Try and see if the flood water itself can be cleaned to provide clean drinking water. · See if existing RO water purifiers can be powered using solar energy as decentralised systems powered by renewable energy makes things more accessible, especially during times of floods, when grid power is shut down. · Inspirations can be drawn from existing solutions for flood relief or from seemingly unconnected products from different worlds.

Objectives · · ·

To come up with a flood resilient product/system intervention for flood affected communities.

To make sure that the solution is easy to use and maintain by the user themselves.

To include renewable energy and frugal resources in the aforementioned solution.

Expected Results A product/ system intervention for flood affected communities relating to potable water that can be used during floods as well as otherwise.

Research and Design Methods · Secondary research about flood, existing solution, materials, methods, and so on. · Primary research: Interviews Picture card interviews (priority mapping and storytelling) Participatory mapping · Brainstorming methods: Affinity maps, mind maps, lotus blossom method, body storming, mind maps, low-fidelity prototyping, and so on.

Timeline and Resource Line Post Seminar 1 · ·

Talk to experts on natural water filtration and water filtration systems.

Talk to people who have done relevant projects on water cleanliness

· Ideate and iterate through rapid sketching and making low fidelity prototypes. Conduct simultaneous user testing for these prototypes.

Post Seminar 2 · Incorporate User feedback into prototypes. · Refinement and further exploration of material, form, function and aesthetic. Use local/ easily available material for exploration. · Create systems for said product and represent through mock-ups and prototypes. · Further user testing and feedback. · Final prototype making after incorporating feedback.

References 1.

Mipun, B.S. 1989. Impact of Migrants and Agricultural Changes in the Lower Brahmaputra Valley : A Case Study of Darrang District. Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, Department of Geography, North Eastern Hill University, Shillong.

2.

Pandey, Alok. “Days Without Food, No Relief, Say Locals in Villages Ravaged by Assam Floods”. NDTV. 3. https://scroll.in/article/849501/lessons-from-assam-indias-flood-control-policy-must-go-beyond-embankments 4. https://thewire.in/environment/floods-storymap 5. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/response-to-floods-in-assam-gujarat-quickest-kiren-rijiju/articleshow/59793262.cms 6. https://www.mapsofindia.com/my-india/government/why-india-cant-afford-to-ignore-assam-flood-situation 7. https://assam.gov.in/web/department-of-water-resource/flood-management-activities 8. https://reliefweb.int/report/india/assam-floods-2012 9. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/flood-situation-improves-in-assam/articleshow/64922045.cms 10. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drinking-water

TECHNICAL RESEARCH As a part of technical research we went to the SELCO office in JP nagar as well as IEC in Bellandur where people living in the slum areas have not only got access to electricity but also been able to start small businesses with the help of solar panels from SELCO. I also attended a workshop on building wireless community radios conducted by C4S in collaboration with ArtScienceBLR.

(From Top to Bottom) A solar powered hospital in Bylapata; A solar powered phone charging station set up by buffalo grid; A foldable and portable solar panel carpet by Renovagen.

(From Top to Bottom) A solar powered Roti maker by SELCO; A solar powered milking machine

by SELCO; interviews being conducted as a part of a community radio.

PRIMARY RESEARCH

The communities we visited mainly included the Patnas commmunity near Bordubi Malual, the Mising Tribe: Alichiga villiage and near Majuli island.

The people of these tribes were welcoming and friendly and although they couldnt speak hindi, they put in a lot of effort in order to understand us and interact with us.

While there were a few children who could speak hindi, we had guides from IGSSS who translated Assamese to English for us. The four main reaearch methods we used were:

Priority Cards

Picture Cards

Participatory Mapping

Interviews

Possessions of the tribes we visited. While they didnt own a lot of things, their most important possession was their land, and solar panels if the house had one. Almost all houses had a handloom, and most of them had boats stored beneath their houses.

Houses of the tribes we visited. The older houses were made entirely of bamboo while the newer ones used a mixture of concrete beams and bamboo. None of the houses had toilets inside them. Most of the cattle lives beneath the house.

A lot of the houses had GI roofs while some had put thatch on top of the GI roof.

A solar powered water pump. It is coowned by a number of farmers as the upfront cost of the pump is very high.

A solar powered rice huller.

(From Left to Right) A man from the patnas community shows us the level of water during floods; A solar powered rescue shelter with a hand pump built by SELCO; A school still shows signs of damage from previous floods; A hand pump Installed by IGSSS.

(From Left to Right) A sand filter used to filter water for drinking; A filter used to make Rice wine, a speciality of the Mising community; Another filter made with banan leaves to make Rice wine; Water is usually gotten from the handpumps to the house using pots.

Water that is used for drinking and cooking is both stored in such pots.

OCCUPATIONAL CALENDAR

An occupational calendar shows the effect of the floods on the livelihood of people in these areas. Most of the poeple here are farmers having inherited the land from their forefathers.

P FISHING DAILYWA GE LABOUR BOAT MAKING WE AVING ANIMAL HUSBANDRY CATTLE HERDING FARMING JAN

FEB MAR

APR MA Y

JUN JUL AUG

SEP OCT

NO V

DEC

KEY FINDINGS

During the floods, food, potable water, energy, hygiene and sanitation are major areas where people face problems especially because diseases like malaria, typhoid, diarrhoea are rampant, and clinics and medicines are not readily available.

KEY FINDINGS

Non- existence of a waste disposal system contributes to contamination of water during floods.

No hospitals or clinics are present near the villages. Locals depend on traditional forms of medicines like herbs which are grown locally.

AREAS OF INTERVENTION

ECOSYSTEM MAPPING

Ecosystem mapping around water to understand source, use and maintainence.

WHYPOTABLE POTABLE WATER WHY WATER When disasters strike the first thing to disappear is access to clean drinking water. This directly impacts health, sanitation and hygiene as well as indirectly impacts livelihood, productivity, human life, and so on.

Contaminated water kills 1 in every 4 hours in india.

1 LAKH people die annually due to water borne diseases.

Internationally 5 LAKH people die annually.

60%

of these deaths in India are caused due to Diarrhoea. diarrhoea.

Common water-borne diseases in India include Cholera, Diarrhoea, Typhoid and Malaria.

2010

In UN delcared access to safe and clean drinking water a human right.

Water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.

Report released by WHO and Health Ministry Depratment of India

DESIGN BRIEF

Done in collaboration with SELCO, this project will deal with solutions relating to potable water in the context of floods, using renewable energy and frugal resources.

To design a solution for potable (drinking) water accessibility for marginalised communities in flood affected areas.

DIRECTIONS TO MOVE IN

FILTERATION

MOBILTY

STORAGE

SOURCE OF WATER

WATER FILTER

MOCKUPS

Purpose: Filtration of water Target User: Families in flood prone areas.

Situation of Use: When clean drinking water is not easily available, or has been contaminated.

Who Owns it? How?: Families own it individually. It is a one time investment.

ARCHIMEDES PUMP FILTER

MOCKUPS

Purpose: Filtration of water while simultaneously pumping water.

Target User: Families in flood prone areas.

Situation of Use: When clean drinking water is not easily available, and flood water is the only source available.

Who Owns it? How?: Families own it individually. It is a one time investment.

REFLECTION While these were my two best ideas so far, I realised that I needed something that would ensure a lot of water was stored for the duration of the flood and that this water be easily accessible by the user. I went back to my ecosystem map and began working on the source of water.

BARREL RAINWATER HARVSTING

MOCKUPS

Purpose: To harvest the rainwater.

Target User: Families in flood prone areas where floods are caused primarily due to heavy rainfall.

Situation of Use: When sources of clean drinking water are limited.

Who Owns it? How?: Families own it individually. It is a one time investment, which can be paid in EMIs.

TARP RAINWATER HARVSTING

MOCKUPS

Purpose: To harvest the rainwater.

Target User: Families in flood prone areas, where floods occur primarily because of rains. Houses that do not have/ cannot afford GI roofs.

Subsidiary User: People looking for frugal ways to harvest rainwater.

Situation of Use: When sources of clean drinking water are limited.

Who Owns it? How?: Families own it individually, or together with other families. It is a one time investment, which can be paid through monthly EMIs.

PUGH’S MATRIX

Filter

Pump

Tarp RWH

RWH

Functionality

1

1

4

5

Efficiency

1

2

5

5

Cost

5

2

3

3

Availability

4

1

5

5

Maintenance

1

2

2

3

Storage Ease

1

1

1

4

13/30

9/30

20/30

25/30

SECONDARY RESEARCH ABOUT RAINWATER HARVESTING Research about rain water harvesting, the technical specifications as well as the DIY methods that peole has come up with. These gave me inspiration for some of my ideas.

PRIMARY RESEARCH ABOUT RAINWATER HARVESTING

Visit to Rain water harvesting stores in KR market to find out the kind of parts that are available and the value of the same.

FURTHUR IDEATION

Purpose: To harvest the rainwater through a network of pipes attached to the side of the house.the pipes distribute the weight evenlt amongst the pillars and use gravity to direct the flow of water into the house. A tap is available inside the house to access the harvested rainwater.

Target User: Families in flood prone areas, where floods occur primarily because of rains. Houses that do not have/ cannot afford GI roofs.

Subsidiary User: People looking for frugal ways to harvest rainwater.

Situation of Use: When sources of clean drinking water are limited.

Who Owns it? How?: Families own it individually, or together with other families. It is a one time investment, which can be paid through monthly EMIs.

FURTHUR IDEATION

Purpose: To harvest the rainwater through barrels attached to the side of the house. the barrels are half filled to make them floatable during the flood as well as reduce the tension on the cement beam. A hand-pump is used to access the water.

Target User: Families in flood prone areas, where floods occur primarily because of rains. Houses that do not have/ cannot afford GI roofs.

Subsidiary User: People looking for frugal ways to harvest rainwater.

Situation of Use: When sources of clean drinking water are limited.

Who Owns it? How?: Families own it individually, or together with other families. It is a one time investment, which can be paid through monthly EMIs.

FURTHUR IDEATION

Purpose: To harvest the rainwater through an elongated gutter pipe along the side of the roof. again gravity is used to direct the stored rainwater.

Target User: Families in flood prone areas, where floods occur primarily because of rains. Houses that do not have/ cannot afford GI roofs.

Subsidiary User: People looking for frugal ways to harvest rainwater.

Situation of Use: When sources of clean drinking water are limited.

Who Owns it? How?: Families own it individually, or together with other families. It is a one time investment, which can be paid through monthly EMIs.

REFLECTION Since I liked the idea of using gravity to direct the flow of the water, I decided to make technical drawings between 1 and 3 to be able to choose which idea to take forward better. for this I first started with a dimension drawing of the house.

REFERENCES

DIMENSION DRAWINGS OF HOUSE

TECHNICAL DRAWINGS IDEA 1

SWOT ANALYSIS IDEA 1 STRENGTHS

WEAKNESS

Readily Available low cost material.

Weight of the water is evenly distributed along the beams.

Cleaning and maintainence of PVC pipes needs to be taken care of.

Danger of leaks.

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

Uses existing structure of the house.

Is customisable for any amount of water needed to be stored provided the beams can hold up the weight.

Danger of overflowing of water.

Water might need to be boiled.

TECHNICAL DRAWINGS IDEA 2

SWOT ANALYSIS IDEA 2 STRENGTHS

WEAKNESS

Weight of the water is evenly distributed along the beams.

Needs custom made troughs.

Water is constantly exposed to air through gaps in the roof.

No provision for first flush.

Maintainence is an issue as it is not easily removable.

Needs extra structures in place for extra support.

Might not work on full bamboo houses.

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

Uses existing structure of the house.

Is customisable for any amount of water needed to be stored provided the beams can hold up the weight.

Water will need to be filtered and boiled.

Might become expensive. might become too heavy and lead to breakage as it rests on the wooden roof beam as well as the concrete beams.

REFLECTION Since using the PVC pipes was a lot more cost effective due to the easy availability of the material and a lot more forgiving on the existing structure of the house in terms of weight and pressure, i decided to go ahead with that idea.

PROTOTYPE MAKING PROCESS

I decided to make a 2ftx3ft scaled down model of the house to showcase my idea.

While the model is not accurate in parts and size it does show the base idea well.

FINAL PROTOTYPE

CONCEPT NOTE When floods occur in Assam every year a common problem is obtaining clean water for drinking, cooking and sanitary purposes. This idea aims to solve that problem by harnessing rain water. Floods are a common occurrence in Assam mainly due to heavy rainfall they recieve during the months of June and July. Rain water is also one of the cleanest available sources of water. This idea showcases how the rainwater can be harnessed and stored alongside the house inside pvc pipes so that the cost of building a tank is reduced and the user does not have to spend electricity in bringing the water upto the house from the tank.

FINAL REFLECTION This project has been a great learning experience for me. I love travelling and interacting with new cultures and people, but it is often that we take for granted that we will find people who will speak a common language. Understanding the pain points of the people living in flood affected regions in Lakhimpur despite the language barrier was challenging but enlightening in the fact that it taught me about different tools you can use when spoken word is not an option. In this project I learnt that design isn’t always about coming up with something entirely new, it is about analysing and observing the situation so that the correct solution can be applied. I started out with trying to come up with a filtration system that would low cost and easily maintained. I then went into researching about solar powered RO filters. But after interacting with my professors, I was forced to relook at the information in front me. Looking at it in a new lens helped me realise that it is not a filtration system that is needed but in fact a system for them to store water. From here came question about source, space and infrastructure which finally led me to the design I ended up with. Along with this I also learnt a lot about using mapping techniques to analyse research and how to listen to the user and not enforce our preconceived notions onto them. Of course there will always be ways to improve not only my design, but myself and my methods further, but in these last four months there has definitely been a leap in my learning and polishing of my skills as a designer.

Tanisha Acharya Final Thesis Project 2019 (Undergraduate Professional Programme) Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology Bangalore - 560064 Karnataka

Copyrights 2018-2019 Student Document Publication (for private circulation only) All Rights Reserved Final Thesis Project (Undergraduate Professional Programme) Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology Bangalore - 560064 Karnataka No part of this document will be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, including photocopying, scanning, photography and video recording without written permission from the publishers namely Tanisha Acharya and Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore.

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