GPS Technology for Finding Suitable Place for Water Harvesting

Abstract

Groundwater is a precious and scarce natural resource on the earth. Though Ranchi is blessed with prominent monsoon with an average rainfall of around 1430 mm; it experiences water scarcity in off monsoon seasons. Artificial recharge technique such as rainwater harvesting is essential to increase the groundwater level and to maintain the quality of water. The technique can be used effectively to trap the unutilized surface runoff and thereby increase the groundwater level. The present study has been conducted in the campus of a technical college in Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand state of India. The objective of this study is to demonstrate a simple but generally applicable water-harvesting model with finding pore points. Global positioning system was used for the survey, and ArcMap 10.1 software was used for the spatial analysis. The prominent sites were located by overlaying thematic maps of land use, soil, slope, runoff potential, soil permeability and stream order. Further, the role and scope of advertisement in bringing awareness of rainwater harvesting technology have been analysed. It has been found during the survey that people residing in the study area are hardly aware of such technology. Thus, the study helps depict the need for advertisement to promote rainwater harvesting technology.