Enhancing access to rainwater harvesting in regions with saline groundwater

Abstract Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting (RRWH) offers a viable solution to the pressing issue of saline groundwater in regions like Ainavolu, a village in Andhra Pradesh, India. This study examines the potential of RRWH systems to provide a sustainable alternative water source in rural settings faced...

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Main Authors: Harish Puppala, Manoj Kumar Arora, Pranav R. T. Peddinti, Jagannadha Pawan Tamvada, Kousik Das
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2025-05-01
Series:Discover Sustainability
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01250-5
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author Harish Puppala
Manoj Kumar Arora
Pranav R. T. Peddinti
Jagannadha Pawan Tamvada
Kousik Das
author_facet Harish Puppala
Manoj Kumar Arora
Pranav R. T. Peddinti
Jagannadha Pawan Tamvada
Kousik Das
author_sort Harish Puppala
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting (RRWH) offers a viable solution to the pressing issue of saline groundwater in regions like Ainavolu, a village in Andhra Pradesh, India. This study examines the potential of RRWH systems to provide a sustainable alternative water source in rural settings faced with water scarcity due to saline groundwater. Firstly, in view of the limitation in terms of spatial resolution associated with satellite imagery, a UAV-based survey is conducted to create a high-resolution orthomosaic of the study region, enabling precise delineation and classification of rooftop materials to estimate harvestable rainwater. Findings of this study suggest that RRWH could significantly alleviate water shortages by potentially collecting approximately 20.16 million litres of rainwater annually. However, despite this substantial capacity, the adoption of RRWH remains limited due to financial, technical, behavioural, and institutional factors. Through comprehensive fieldwork, including focus group discussions and one-on-one interactions, we identified 17 critical factors hindering RRWH adoption. Based on these insights, we propose a tailored roadmap to promote RRWH implementation, incorporating strategies such as partnerships with local vendors, specialized training programs, subsidies, and targeted awareness campaigns. This study not only underscores the practicality of RRWH in offsetting the challenges posed by unsuitable groundwater but also provides a scalable model for enhancing water security through community-based initiatives and technological integration. Since the scenario of water scarcity and responses of residents change with the cultural and economic characteristics, it is suggested to update the factors while adopting the proposed framework.
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issn 2662-9984
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spelling doaj-art-2b598306faae474890210cfe94caf2ed2025-08-20T02:06:23ZengSpringerDiscover Sustainability2662-99842025-05-016112410.1007/s43621-025-01250-5Enhancing access to rainwater harvesting in regions with saline groundwaterHarish Puppala0Manoj Kumar Arora1Pranav R. T. Peddinti2Jagannadha Pawan Tamvada3Kousik Das4Department of Civil Engineering, SRM University APDepartment of Civil Engineering, SRM University APDepartment of Civil Engineering, SRM University APKingston Business School, Kingston UniversityCentre for Geospatial Technology, SRM University APAbstract Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting (RRWH) offers a viable solution to the pressing issue of saline groundwater in regions like Ainavolu, a village in Andhra Pradesh, India. This study examines the potential of RRWH systems to provide a sustainable alternative water source in rural settings faced with water scarcity due to saline groundwater. Firstly, in view of the limitation in terms of spatial resolution associated with satellite imagery, a UAV-based survey is conducted to create a high-resolution orthomosaic of the study region, enabling precise delineation and classification of rooftop materials to estimate harvestable rainwater. Findings of this study suggest that RRWH could significantly alleviate water shortages by potentially collecting approximately 20.16 million litres of rainwater annually. However, despite this substantial capacity, the adoption of RRWH remains limited due to financial, technical, behavioural, and institutional factors. Through comprehensive fieldwork, including focus group discussions and one-on-one interactions, we identified 17 critical factors hindering RRWH adoption. Based on these insights, we propose a tailored roadmap to promote RRWH implementation, incorporating strategies such as partnerships with local vendors, specialized training programs, subsidies, and targeted awareness campaigns. This study not only underscores the practicality of RRWH in offsetting the challenges posed by unsuitable groundwater but also provides a scalable model for enhancing water security through community-based initiatives and technological integration. Since the scenario of water scarcity and responses of residents change with the cultural and economic characteristics, it is suggested to update the factors while adopting the proposed framework.https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01250-5Rooftops Rainwater Harvesting (RRWH) systemUnmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)Water scarcityGroundwater
spellingShingle Harish Puppala
Manoj Kumar Arora
Pranav R. T. Peddinti
Jagannadha Pawan Tamvada
Kousik Das
Enhancing access to rainwater harvesting in regions with saline groundwater
Discover Sustainability
Rooftops Rainwater Harvesting (RRWH) system
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
Water scarcity
Groundwater
title Enhancing access to rainwater harvesting in regions with saline groundwater
title_full Enhancing access to rainwater harvesting in regions with saline groundwater
title_fullStr Enhancing access to rainwater harvesting in regions with saline groundwater
title_full_unstemmed Enhancing access to rainwater harvesting in regions with saline groundwater
title_short Enhancing access to rainwater harvesting in regions with saline groundwater
title_sort enhancing access to rainwater harvesting in regions with saline groundwater
topic Rooftops Rainwater Harvesting (RRWH) system
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
Water scarcity
Groundwater
url https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01250-5
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AT manojkumararora enhancingaccesstorainwaterharvestinginregionswithsalinegroundwater
AT pranavrtpeddinti enhancingaccesstorainwaterharvestinginregionswithsalinegroundwater
AT jagannadhapawantamvada enhancingaccesstorainwaterharvestinginregionswithsalinegroundwater
AT kousikdas enhancingaccesstorainwaterharvestinginregionswithsalinegroundwater