IJSTE - International Journal of Science Technology & Engineering | Volume 2 | Issue 11 | May 2016 ISSN (online): 2349-784X All rights reserved by www.ijste.org 166 Rain Water Harvesting Plan in Chasnala Coal Mine, Dhanbad Girijesh Kumar B. K. Sinha Professor & Head of Department Ex GM Department of Geology Chasnala ISP, Chasnala, Dhanbad- 828 135, Jharkhand BIT Sindri, Dhanbad – 828 123, Jharkhand SK Singh Ex Director BIT Sindri, Dhanbad – 828 123, Jharkhand Abstract Water is precious and fast becoming a scarce natural resource which is required to be conserved, augmented and harvested by applying suitable conventional as well as innovative techniques. Water harvesting is a technique of developing surface water resources that can be used in dry regions to provide water for livestock, for domestic use, and for agro forestry and small scale subsistence farming. Water harvesting systems may be defined as artificial methods whereby precipitation can be collected and stored until it is beneficially used. The system includes: 1) a catchment area, usually prepared in some manner to improve run off efficiency and 2) a storage facility for the harvested water, unless the water is to be immediately concentrated in the soil profile of a smaller area for growing drought-hardy plants. A water distribution scheme is also required for the systems devoted to subsistence farming for irrigation during dry periods. Mining activities disturb groundwater aquifers. Underground mining disturbs deep aquifers whereas opencast mining disturbs both shallow and deep aquifers. In order to extract coal, large quantity of water accumulated at the pit bottom is required to be pumped out to the surface. Therefore coal mining areas are always subjected to acute water crisis unless suitable care is taken to ensure the proper water supply and in this context, rain water harvesting is one of the most appropriate technology to conserve the water management in the study area. With these concepts in the background, the present study has been carried out in context with the Chasnalla Group of Mines, ISP, SAIL. Keywords: Agro forestry, Water harvesting, Precipitation, Catchment, Groundwater Aquifers ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I. INTRODUCTION Rainwater harvesting is the accumulation and deposition of rainwater for reuse on-site, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater harvesting can yield copious amounts of water [1]. For an average rainfall of 1,000 mm, approximately four million liters of rainwater can be collected in a year in an acre of land (4,047 m 2 ), post-evaporation. As rainwater harvesting is neither energy- intensive nor labour-intensive, it can be a cost-effective alternative to other water-accruing methods, such as desalination of seawater and interlinking of rivers. One of the important advantages of rainwater harvesting is that it prevents intrusion of seawater into coastal regions. Rainwater harvesting is a technically feasible solution for overcoming the problem of water scarcity in cities. Water from rainfall infiltrates into an aquifer through an artificial recharge structure, thus recharging the aquifer [2]. The water is stored in the aquifer, from where it can be retrieved for future use. With the water table falling rapidly, and with concrete buildings, paved car parks, business complexes, and landfill dumps taking the place of water bodies. Rainwater Harvesting is the most reliable solution for augmenting groundwater level to attain self-sufficiency in public distribution of water in drought-prone areas [3]. In this context, rooftop rainwater harvesting can become a popular technique to improve the storage and recharge of water. Proper recharge of harvested water can augment the ground water storage and increase the ground water level. This will also partially meet the demand of drinking water [4]. It would also reduce the wastage of water due to surface runoff and has the potential to choke the storm drains [5]. Artificial Recharge is the best method of conserving rainwater, which will arrest the shrinking of water reserves. This can be motivated and implemented by consideration of the followings: - Identify potential zones in this area and design and implement suitable, site-specific roof water and surface water harvesting structures to raise the ground water table. The activities would utilize geology, geophysics and hydrogeology as irreplaceable tools. - Promulgate roof and surface water harvesting techniques through Community Rainwater Harvesting methods to produce significant first-hand remedies for water crisis in cities. - Sustain the existing water supply schemes by artificial recharge - Introduce water-harvesting structures on unpolluted rain water drains, open areas, parks and playgrounds.