http://www.iaeme.com/IJCIET/index.asp 91 editor@iaeme.com International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET) Volume 8, Issue 9, September 2017, pp. 91–98, Article ID: IJCIET_08_09_012 Available online at http://http://www.iaeme.com/ijciet/issues.asp?JType=IJCIET&VType=8&IType=9 ISSN Print: 0976-6308 and ISSN Online: 0976-6316 © IAEME Publication Scopus Indexed ASSESSMENT OF RAINWATER HARVESTING POTENTIAL FOR A PART OF CHANDIGARH K. Pavan Kumar and B Sri Muruganandam Associate Professor, School of Civil and Chemical Engineering, VIT University, Vellore ABSTRACT Rainwater harvesting is an important water conservation technique which can be used as a stand-alone method or in conjunction with other water conservation methods. As water scarcity is becoming more pronounced in many urban areas in India, it becomes necessary to conserve water through whatever means available. In India rainwater harvesting is becoming mandatory for many cities and towns. Depending on the volume of rainwater available for harvesting, an appreciable portion of total water demand can be met with rainwater harvesting in many places. In this paper an attempt has been made to assess the total volume of rainfall that can be harvested for meeting part of the domestic water demand. The analysis has been carried out for a part of Chandigarh, which is a joint capital of Haryana and Punjab. As the city has seen quite a few water shortage years in recent past, it is appropriate to suggest a method for conserving water wherever and whenever possible. The analysis as done for four sectors of Chandigarh showed that a large portion of rainwater can be captured through rainwater harvesting, which can be then used for meeting part of the total domestic water demand. Keywords: water resources; water demand; rainwater harvesting Cite this Article: K. Pavan Kumar and B Sri Muruganandam, Assessment of Rainwater Harvesting Potential for a Part of Chandigarh, International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, 8(9), 2017, pp. 91–98. http://www.iaeme.com/IJCIET/issues.asp?JType=IJCIET&VType=8&IType=9 1. INTRODUCTION Water scarcity is one of the most pressing concerns for many urban regions in India. Urbanization is happening at a rapid pace across the country because of which there is a tremendous growth in population both due to internal population growth and due to migrations. One of the immediate effects of increasing population and development is the increasing water demand. Most often the available sources of water like river, lakes, reservoirs or groundwater sources are able to meet the water demand requirements only to certain urban growth levels. However as population increases, there is more stress on these natural water bodies and a stage may come when they are no longer viable as a source of water. In order to avoid such scenarios, there has been a trend among various municipalities to