Rainwater Harvesting

Originally Posted: June 18, 2011

Upper photos taken on May 13, 2011 show 2 Rain Impounding Ponds initially dug-up in 2010.

They were re-dug, enlarged and made deeper before the 2011 rains.

Lower photos taken on June 15, 2011 show the ponds after monsoon rains filled them and caused water-absorption into the ground.

Drawing and Plans for Rainwater CAPTURE Ponds

See: http://www.biofuelswork.com/RAIN/Storage.htm

TIBIG trees:

Published information on TIBIG trees is very limited. They are known locally as good indicators of underground water reservoirs. It is not un-common to see free flowing water well-springs (sibols or bucals) in the vicinity of upland areas with thick populations of TIBIG trees. Well drillers frequently look for TIBIG trees before installing deep wells in upland areas. They use the trees to “divine” the position of their wells.

These trees cannot be easily propagated. Like the delicious coffee beans collected from the feces of civet cats, TIBIG fruits have to be digested by birds first. Only seeds in bird feces can grow. Grass cutting and clearing result in the unnecessary “killing” of these trees making them un-common and difficult to find now.

As their roots systems reportedly absorb and store water that is eventually released, we are propagating and studying TIBIG trees to determine and develop them as a possible water source for our water-deprived upland farm. Our careful grass-cutting efforts prevent the indiscriminate “killing” of these trees. The pictures below show seedlings and young trees, some of which have been decapitated, that are now thriving.

We are hopeful, as our rainwater catchment and retention ponds are built in the midst of these trees, that we can create, restore and replenish underground water reservoirs by enabling the area to absorb and become saturated with water. In due time, these “reservoirs” should become accessible from free-flowing well-springs (sibuls or bucals) or shallow-well water pumps.

Even if, the well-springs and reservoirs do not materialize, rainwater that is absorbed into the ground through our catchment ponds will surely replenish the aquifer somehow, nourish trees & other vegetation in the area and help prevent run-offs that cause soil erosion, landslides, lake & riverbed silting and disastrous flooding.

The water stored in our Impounding Ponds should also be very useful in supporting vegetable gardens towards producing more food. Using the Plant ROOT Injector that was also developed by the proponent may also help maximize said food production efforts.

Pictures taken May 25, 2011

Pictures taken May 25, 2011

Notice in these pictures that:

·       Many of our TIBIG trees have previously experienced being cut-down and

·       We now have several grown-up trees as a result of our efforts to protect & propagate them.

In-line with our hope of creating an underground water source where TIBIG trees are growing, we built rainwater catchment ponds (seen in the background in the above pictures). As these ponds fill-up and have their contents absorbed into the ground instead of running-of, eroding soils in their path, causing landslides and flooding in low-lying areas, we hope to saturate the ground with rainwater, have these water stored in the roots of TIBIG trees and get the water when the TIBIG trees release it.

Please check out these relevant topics also:

Catching RAIN at http://www.biofuelswork.com/RAIN/Rain.htm (July 17, 2010)

Overcoming DROUGHT with the Plant ROOT Injector at http://www.biofuelswork.com/INJECTOR/Injector.htm (March 24, 2011)

Mitigating DROUGHT at http://www.biofuelswork.com/DROUGHT/Drought.htm (May 1, 2011)

Storing RAIN at http://www.biofuelswork.com/RAIN/Storing.htm (July 2, 2011)

Plant ROOT Injector Tests at http://www.biofuelswork.com/INJECTOR/Tests.htm (July 2, 2011)

Or visit our homepage at http://www.biofuelswork.com for other interesting topics. Thank you.