Rural Technologies

In rural areas for effective water management on a watershed basis, surface water tanks are used. These tanks are used during rainy season for collection and storage of water and are commonly built to capacity of 50,000 liters. To construct such tanks, by using conventional technique of reinforced cement concrete (RCC) the cost may be to the range of Rs. 10/liter. NGO Jalvardhini has come up with a novel technique of water tank construction using natural fibers such as coconut, banana, flax etc.as a substitute for steel. Such tanks have been used for past 4-5 years in Maharashtra and have been found to be quite effective. The costs of these tanks are approximately Rs.2-3 / liter capacity. Objective of present project was to do field evaluation of existing fiber based tanks using scientific methods. Evaluation of these tanks against seepage, durability and cost effectiveness was done.