Traditional rain water harvesting systems in Rajasthan: water resources conservation and its sustainable management –a review.

Abstract

Communities all over the world have been endowed with the wisdom ofindigenous technologiesto collectthe rain where it falls, so one can find such structures all around the world. The region of western Rajasthan in India faces frequent droughts and an acute shortagesof water. This has compelled the local peopleto incorporate mechanisms to conserve water in their everyday life. These traditional methods have been developed over centuries and reflect the accumulated wisdom of many generations. An attempt has been made in this paper to undertake a detailed investigation of the various traditional water harvesting systems weaved in the social fabric of Rajasthan,that have been constructed using the indigenous knowledge and locally available material and are also significantfor the state in present context to cope with drought.