Who are the pioneers in this field ?

In no particular order...

K.R.Gopinath of Anna Nagar attended a seminar given by Prof.P.V.Indiresan, a past director of IIT Madras in 1983. Gopinath implemented the Rain Water Harvesting concept at his house in Anna Nagar and his farm. Success of this project helped to spread the idea leading to a community service program in 1993. He is a working committee member of the Water Conservation committee in Chennai Metrowater. He has been invited by Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh Governments to study the water problem and install different RWH systems. The long list of RWH installations includes Mahindra Industrial Park, T.V.S.Suzuki, Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Electronics, Loyolla College, Wheels India, Madras School of Science and many more. You can reach him at : K.R.Gopinath Rainwater Harvesting Foundation

Sekhar Raghavan of Besant Nagar Email:Sekhar Raghavan has helped to install RWH methods in 50 flat complexes and 50 independent houses. He has championed this cause for many years. "I started this campaign in Besant Nagar in selfish interest because I am a resident there and I was deeply concerned and anxious about the misuse of ground water by people, its indiscriminate overdrawal. Besant Nagar lies in the coastal zone and as you draw more and more water, the seawater is just waiting to seep into the vacuum."

Goutam Ghosh, Email : Goutam Ghosh a principal reporter for THE HINDU has written more than 6 articles on RWH. Here is one of them. Article from HINDU. Article by Ghosh

The Rotary Club of Madras ( Benjamin Cherian) is involved in desilting many temple tanks to store water.

Alacrity Foundations in T.Nagar is the only builder in Chennai who has implemented RWH in all their complexes completed in the last 7 years. We must educate other builders and architects on RWH.

The City Government in Madras passed a regulation that all new buildings will incorporate RWH prior to getting their permits and licenses. It appears this law is being ignored. If the builders will not do it themselves, then the owners and occupants should insist on it prior to moving in. Otherwise, where will the occupants get adequate water from.

There is a group of Architects and Engineers in Bangalore called the Rainwater Club - Bangalore Rainwater Club , who promote RWH units in all new houses and buildings. Vishwanath and Chitra coordinates this group.

Anna Hazare in Maharashtra has promoted this idea for many years.

Did you know that Mahatma Gandhi's house in Porbander, Gujarat had a version of Rain Water Harvesting ?

Underneath the verandah in front of the room in which the Mahatma was born, in the space enclosed by the three wings of the house, is an underground reservoir, 20 feet long, 20 feet wide and 15 feet deep, with a capacity of 20 thousand gallons, for storing rainwater for domestic use. The well water in Porbandar, owing to its vicinity to the sea, is brackish, hard and unfit for cooking. Rainwater was,therefore, collected and stored in the underground reservoir for use the year round. The terrace on the top floor, carefully washed before the first monsoon showers, served as catchment for the water, running down a pipe straight into the tank. A heap of lime at the mouth of the pipe served to filter and purify the water.

In this house five generations of Gandhis lived and prospered

Mahatma Gandhi Vol 1 (The Early Phase) by Shri Pyarelal

Source : Center for Science and Environment, New Delhi