General Tips |
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Rain water harvesting
from rooftops
Harvesting rooftop rainwater is one answer to the
city’s water scarcity.
WHAT is rooftop rainwater harvesting?
The process of collecting, storing and using rain
falling on rooftops of houses or other constructions
is called, rooftop rainwater harvesting.
WHY harvest rainwater?
Because rainwater is a pure natural resource and saving
it makes ecological and financial sense.
WHO can harvest rooftop rainwater?
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Rainwater harvesting
is for any person planning to build a house
or who is in the process of building a house
on an independent plot. |
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Harvest rainwater by ‘retrofitting’
such a built house for rainwater harvesting.
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Persons in apartments can also
harvest rainwater but a community approach may
be required in such a case. |
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Industries and factories
can harvest rainwater since large roof areas
are usually available in such constructions.
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People who are purchasing water
from private water tankers can harvest rainwater
to lessen their financial outflow. |
It is possible to collect rainwater and use the
same for gardening, car washing, washing clothes,
dishes, bathing, toilet, house swabbing and other
domestic non-potable purposes. If you want to use
the harvested rainwater for all purposes including
drinking and cooking, it is a must to boil and filter
before use.
DESIGN your roof well for rainwater collection.
- A flat roof can be gently sloped to drain water
towards the storage system. A ‘nahani trap’ or
‘floor trap can be placed at the time of casting
the roof just near the inlets of the down water
pipes.
- Sloping roofs should have a gutter of PVC or
Zinc sheet to collect water and channel it to
the down water pipe system.
- Roofs should be uncluttered and should be easy
to clean by sweeping and swabbing if necessary.
- Down water pipes should be designed well - 90
mm diameter. PVC pipes resistant to UV rays appear
to be the best bet as down water pipes. Of course
this depends on the roof area to be drained.
- 3 to 4 down water pipes seem enough for a 1,000
to 1,200 square feet area.
Filter the rainwater before storage: Filtering
can be as basic as a floor trap placed before
the water enters the down water pipe or a piece
of sponge placed at the inlet of the down water
pipe. A PVC bucket with gravel, sand and charcoal
is a good filter before rain water is stored.
A PVC drum with sponge on the inlet and outlet
is also a filter. A small two chamber inspection
filter tank can also be devised.
DESIGN tips for rainwater harvesting.
Try to determine your storage system at the planning
stage itself. Would it be a:
- roof level storage tank
- a ground level drum or masonry tank
- a below the ground sump
- a partially below ground and partially above
ground tank.
Locate the storage system appropriately
Roof level storage tanks may need to be at the rear
of the house or on the sides so that it is neither
obstrusive or visually offensive.
Ground level drums or tanks occupy space and should
not hinder movement or appear unsightly.
Note: Always provide for an outlet for excess collection
of water from the storage system.
Further treatment of stored rainwater
It is a common perception that water stored for
long goes bad. If water does not contain any organic
material and if it is stored in a clean container
it can stay for very very long.
Some small treatment like ‘alum dosing’ or ‘chlorination’
can also be done to stored water to improve its
quality.
Addition of a small quantity of alum dissolved in
half a bucket of water will bring down the suspended
solids and clear the stored rainwater.
Similarly adding a small quantity of bleaching powder
to half a bucket of water and then mixing it with
the stored rainwater will kill bacterial contamination.
Great care should be exercised while chlorinating
and it is not particularly recommended.
It is always recommended that water used for drinking
should be boiled and filtered invariably.
Courtesy: Environment and Health Foundation (India).
web site: www.inika.com/chitra
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Tips
to make life easier
Do you feel that there are simply not enough hours in
a day to accomplish everything? Do you wonder where
you'll find energy to go to work, fix the meals, maintain
your house, manage your money, educate your children,
etc. In short, do you wish to make your life less difficult?
Here we present some practical solutions for everyday
life.
Around the
house
Keep
your carpet smelling fresh and clean with baking soda
- just sprinkle the soda liberally over the entire
carpet and let it sit for an hour. Then vacuum it up.
For
a sweeter smelling house, squeeze a few drops of lemon
juice into the dust-bag of your vacuum cleaner before
you start it up.
You
can use mayonnaise to remove crayon marks from wood
furniture. Just let it sit for ten minutes and then
rub with a soft cloth.
Vinegar
is an inexpensive and effective cleaning agent and it
has many practical uses:
To
remove white water deposits from your pots and pans,
simply pour white vinegar into the pot and boil for
15 minutes.
Cleaning
your dishwasher is child's play if you run an empty
cycle with white vinegar.
White vinegar can also remove stains and odours of pets
from the carpet.
When you are painting, just add a few drops of vanilla
essence to the paint when mixing. This will remove the
unpleasant smell and still won't affect the colour.
To
keep the toilet bowl sparkling, mix equal parts of baking
soda and borax; add white vinegar and use this
mixture as a cleaning fluid.
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Appliances
Avoid long, uninterrupted use of your blender. Such
misuse can overheat the motor and possibly cause a breakdown.
Keep
the mixing bowl from slipping on the countertop when
using a handheld mixer by putting a rubberised mat
or a damp cloth underneath it.
Place
a piece of plastic wrap over the top of your processor's
bowl before you put on the lid. After processing,
you'll discover that the usually splatter-splashed
lid is spotless.
Dispel
offensive odours from your microwave by placing a
thick slice of lemon on a paper towel and microwaving
it on high for about a minute and a half.
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Cooking
Tips
To avoid browning of apples after cutting, apply a
little lemon juice on the cut surface.The apples will
stay and look fresh for a longer time.
While
boiling milk, always add a little water in the vessel
to avoid milk from sticking to the bottom.
You can also leave a spoon in the vessel in which
the milk is being boiled at low heat so that it does
not get burnt at the bottom.
Keep coriander leaves in a muslin cloth bag, in the
refrigerator. They will remain fresh for a longer
time.
Add a tablespoon of hot oil to homemade pastes of
garlic, ginger or green chilli, along with salt to
make it last longer and taste fresher.
Remove
the stems of green chillies while storing them.This
will help them stay fresh for long.
Store
raisins in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
They will stay fresh for much longer.
While
using ginger and garlic paste in curries, always use
garlic at 60% ratio and ginger at 40% as ginger is
very strong and will make your dish sharp and pungent.
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Grandma's
useful Tips
To remove bad breath chew Eliachi (green cardamom)
/ Sanuf (aniseed)
/ Laung
(Cloves).
Chewing
a piece of Laung (clove) after a meal helps
in reducing acidity.
Soak
seven almonds in water overnight, remove the skin
and boil it with a glass of milk and sugar and drink
it. Repeat this for 20 - 25 days. It helps enhance
memory.
One
or two drops of eucalyptus oil on a handkerchief works
as a good inhaler if one has a running nose.
A few drops of eucalyptus oil, when added to hot water,
provides relief during cold, when inhaled.
A
mixture of ginger juice and honey (warmed), if taken
before going to bed brings great relief to severe
cough.
A
mixture of cardamom seeds, a pinch of black salt and
a few drops of lemon, taken with luke warm water,
provides relief during a stomach ache.
A
flake of garlic, swallowed with water, on an empty
stomach everyday in the morning can be helpful
in providing relief during stomach and gastric problems.
Biting
a clove provides relief in toothache.
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Miscellaneous
To remove an ink-stain apply toothpaste on both sides
of the ink-stain. Wash after it dries.
For
a candle to last longer, place it in a bowl of water.
A mixture of milk and spirit can be helpful in removing
ball pen marks from foam leather.
When storing woollen clothes, place dried neem
(margo) leaves in them to avoid worms and insects.
To get rid of dandruff, apply a mixture of lemon and
coconut oil on your scalp for at least 2 hours
(twice
a week).
Do not throw away orange peels. Dry and
powder it. Add milk or rose water to make a fine
paste. Apply on your face for a fresh and glowing
skin.
Do
not throw away an old tooth brush, as it can be used
for cleaning jewellery, bottles and metals.
Clean
all your silverware with toothpaste. They will sparkle
like they were bought yesterday.
To remove grease stains from clothes, sprinkle some
talcum powder over the grease as soon as possible.
Keep aside for a while & wash with soap and water
as usual.
Used tea leaves are good manure for plants.
Oil stains may be removed by rubbing with a piece
of lemon dipped in salt. Later wash off with soap.
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