Page 8 - Agric Info Mag 01 2017

8

Water harvesting is defined as the accumulation and deposition of rainwater for later agricultural,
industrial and domestic use; it also plays a vital role in the prevention of soil erosion. There are
two main types of water harvesting: Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting and Surface runoff rainwater
Harvesting.
Rooftop rainwater harvesting can be Surface runoff water harvesting is the recycling of water
termed as the technique through which from rain that flows over the earth’s surface. There are
rain water is captured from the roof three methods that can be utilized in harvesting surface
catchments and stored in reservoirs for runoff water, they are inter-plot water harvesting, inter-
later use. row water harvesting and water harvesting in farm
Roof top water harvest- ponds.
ing consists of four com- In St Vincent and the Grena-
ponents which are catch- dines, Rivers are natural water
ments, transportation, first sources which flow in a channel
flush and filter. to the sea and are predominant
throughout the country; water
Firstly the catchment is the can be taken from the river via
rooftop also known as the buckets and stored in a large
area which contributes tank. Rooftop water harvesting
rainfall for harvesting. would be idealistic for cultiva-

Secondly transportation is Water Harvesting Process illustration tion of crops and rearing of live-
stock. Where take pipes can be
the medium of transport livestock with the necessary utilized in storing the water col-
used to take water from amount of water while taking lected by the roof/catchment in
one stage to the other with away some of the financial barrels/buckets for later use.
the use of water pipes and strain by storing it in bins. The water collected from rivers
take pipes and also a and roofs can be chemically
mesh should be placed at Surface runoff water harvest- treated with chlorine to reduce
the entrance of each pipe ing is the recycling of water the bacteria that might be con-
to restrict floating material. from rain that flows over the tained in it, then the water
Thirdly fish flush aids in earth’s surface. There are would be suitable to distribute
the cleaning of silt and three methods that can be util- to plants and livestock.
other material deposited ized in harvesting surface run-
during the dry seasons. off water, they are inter-plot Though some may argue that
water harvesting, inter-row wa- water harvesting techniques
Lastly the filter is the most ter harvesting and water har- requires a lot of work, one can
important section in this vesting in farm ponds. Inter- conclude that water harvesting
process in in treating sul- row water harvesting would be would not only be beneficial to
lied water which is very the best method to use for plants and livestock but also to
important in keeping the farmers in St Vincent and farmers financially, where less
rainwater in the storage Grenadines where it will en- money would be spent on the
tank clean. It removes silt, sure that plants receive monthly water bill because
dust, leaves and other or- enough water for proper func- there would no longer be a dire
ganic matter from entering tioning by creating contour need to use water from the
the storage tank. drains that would control the Central Water and Sewage Au-
flow of water.
This would be significant thority’s (CWSA) pipeline in the
in providing plants and dry season.