Coimbatore village seems to be way ahead in incorporating a rainwater harvesting structure into the housing design, compared to the government machinery.
Most of the houses in the village boast rainwater harvesting structures to increase the groundwater table. One of the house owners, P Rajamanickam, told the media that the rainwater collected in the courtyard would flow to the garden in the backyard via a channel.
The director of The Rain Centre in Chennai, Dr Sekhar Raghavan, told the media that the garden accounts for about 40% of the total area of the house. The rainwater will refill the groundwater table, raising the water level in the wells. Nearly half of the houses in the village come with a well.
He said that the rainwater harvesting structures at Chettipalayam were not surprising, as the older generation was known for executing measures to preserve the water for the future.
Also read: Govt efforts to turn water conservation into a mass movement