Study Of Rainwater Harvesting In Puttur Taluk, Dakshina Kannada District, Karnataka.

Abstract

Approximately 83% of India's water resources are allocated to agriculture. Therefore, it is crucial to preserve and hold onto the water that is left over after the rainy season. The trend of rainfall in Puttur has been shown to decline, as indicated by the three-year moving average curve for the period from 1990 to 2017. We need to put in a rainwater gathering system here. A check dam is a makeshift structure made from easily accessible mud and loose stones. They are generally constructed across minor streams and rivers. These check dams store a lot of water during the dry months and limit the flow of water. The water level in nearby wells and water sources rises as the collected water gradually seeps into the ground. In coastal regions, they also lessen the quantity of freshwater that enters the ocean. In rural areas, check dams are a popular, inexpensive, and simple method. Check dams are therefore highly helpful in managing water resources. Making artificial ponds, which are subsequently utilized for everyday activities like watering plants in the dry season, is another way to ensure fresh water is available during the rainy season. At high elevations, it is mostly constructed using impermeable materials such as geomembrane and geosynthetics. Large volumes of water can be held by gravity or pumped from man-made ponds when needed. Soil property studied like bulk density, wet sieve analysis, water content and infiltration revealed that rainwater harvesting promotion will decrease dependency on groundwater in dry periods up to 40%.

 Several factors have contributed to the recent depletion of groundwater. The goal of this research paper is to improve Puttur's groundwater recharge and efficient use of stored water. The primary factor influencing groundwater recharge is the soil's ability to infiltrate. The flow of water from the surface into the soil is known as infiltration. Infiltration tests were conducted at eight sites in the Puttur areas of the Dakshina Kannada District in the state of Karnataka. The double ring infiltrometer method was used to measure the infiltration rates. The results showed that the infiltration rate is influenced by temperature, bulk density, porosity, soil type, and antecedent moisture content. The in-situ density of soil is determined using the core cutter method. Evapotranspiration is not synonymous with evaporation. It is the confluence of two transpiration and evaporation processes. Transpiration explains how water moves inside a plant and how stomata in its leaves cause the following loss of water as vapor. An element (like a tree) that helps evapotranspiration is known as an evapotranspiration. From surfaces, including soil (soil evaporation), and from vegetation, evapotranspiration (ET) is the word used to define the movement of water into the atmosphere. Good number of rational and empirical formula are available to compute evapotranspiration _(12). But many are specific to regions due to large number climatic parameters. As farmer understand about rainfall only, simple tools are needed to compute crop water requirements using from minimum climatic data.