: His Unique Technique Recharges 45 Million Litres of Rainwater/Yr in 25000 Wells #IndiaNEWS #Rain Water Harvesting In recent years, Chikamaglur in Karnataka has recorded severe droughts affecting their

His Unique Technique Recharges 45 Million Litres of Rainwater/Yr in 25000 Wells #IndiaNEWS #Rain Water Harvesting
In recent years, Chikamaglur in Karnataka has recorded severe droughts affecting their areca nut, coffee and spice plantations. The crisis escalated due to poor rainfall, causing the residents and farmers to depend on water tankers and groundwater sources, eventually drying them with over-extraction.
The situation for Michael Sadanand Baptist, an engineering diploma graduate, was no different on his ancestral agricultural land.
“We have 6 acres of land and it is not far away from the city. However, in 2001, the region faced severe droughts. We decided to drill bore wells to irrigate and survive our coffee plantations,�? he tells The Better India.
Michael says that he drilled 28 borewells one after the other on their six-acre land in search of water but in vain. “Disappointed with the results, my father directed me to stop those adventures at once. He suggested that we opt for rainwater harvesting to replenish the groundwater,�? the 58-year-old says.
His journey to install a rainwater harvesting system eventually led him to innovate a unique self-cleaning, dual-intensity rainwater harvesting water filter and a V-wire injection technology that helps groundwater recharge in deeper layers of the earth.
A Self-Sustaining Technology
Rainy filter installed at one of the clients by Farmland Rainwater Filtration System.
Michael researched and procured the pipes, casing material and drill and other equipment to install the rainwater harvesting system at his farm.
He took help from the experts to capture the surface run-off water and percolate in the bore wells but faced a problem.
“The conventional systems have a filtration system with stone, gravel, sand and other material to filter the rainwater from leaves, debris and other unwanted contaminants. However, the filter was not efficient as the filter needed frequent cleaning, and the silt depositing on the surface of the filters made the water percolation difficult due to clogging of the layers,�? Michael says.
He adds that such a system would become redundant after a period and needed money to invest and revive the functionality.
To overcome the problem, Michael and his friends Vijayraj and Sunil Gilbert joined hands to experiment and bring an innovative and efficient rainwater harvesting technique by setting up Farmland Rainwater Harvesting Systems (FLRWHS).
After years of efforts and improvements, they conceived two devices, Rainy filter and V-Wire recharging for domestic and agriculture purposes, respectively.
Michael says, “The technology is entirely indigenous and works on the principles of cohesion and centrifugal force for low and high-intensity rainfalls. �?

Explaining about the Rainy filter, he says, “The system is connected tangentially to a down-take pipe, where rainwater from the roof is channelised to the filter.