Catch the rain

Rainwater harvesting promotes self-sufficiency and fosters an appreciation for water as a resource. It  also promotes water conservation. Despite receiving high annual rainfall, rainwater harvesting (RWH) in Assam remains critically underutilized, exacerbating water scarcity during dry seasons and failing to mitigate urban flooding. While the state experiences heavy monsoon runoff, rapid urbanisation, a lack of awareness, and weak enforcement of building bylaws, it also prevents widespread adoption of harvesting systems. The “Catch the Rain” movement, launched under India’s Jal Shakti Abhiyan with the tagline ”Catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls,” is a nationwide campaign aimed at water conservation, rainwater harvesting, and groundwater replenishment. Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on World Water Day – March 22, 2021 – the movement recognises that while rain is the primary source of freshwater, a significant portion goes to waste, leading to water scarcity in a country that receives abundant precipitation. The core objective of the campaign is to create, maintain, and rejuvenate rainwater harvesting structures (RWHS) to store and use rainwater effectively. The campaign operates on the principle that capturing rain where it falls can significantly mitigate flooding and improve groundwater levels. The initiative targets all 734 districts across India, focusing on the period before the monsoon (starting in March) to ensure infrastructure is ready to capture the rain. Key interventions of the “Catch the Rain” campaign include creating rainwater harvesting structures, like the construction of rooftop and ground-level harvesting systems; rejuvenation of water bodies, like desilting tanks and ponds to increase storage capacity; utilizing defunct borewells to recharge aquifers; creation of green cover by way of planting trees to encourage soil moisture retention; and awareness generation by way of mobilising communities to understand their duty in water conservation. This movement focuses on active community participation and “Jan Bhagidari” by way of community ownership, participation and action. The campaign is supposed to encourage people to install cost-effective structures to reduce dependency on running water, which is crucial for fighting increasing water stress in both rural and urban areas. The movement promotes technical solutions and fosters a cultural shift towards valuing water and understanding that “to catch the rain is to believe in the future”. If seriously implemented, this programme has the potential to significantly benefit Guwahati. Even if 10 percent of the city’s rainwater is captured and stored, it will considerably ease the artificial floods caused by heavy rains in the Assam capital.