1. Berkata Abu Murrah Ath-Tha’ifi r.a. bahwasanya Nabi s.a.w. telah bersabda : Allah telah berfirman: “Wahai anak Adam! Bersolatlah untuk Aku di awal pagi, niscaya Aku akan mencukupimu di akhirnya.” (Riwayat Ahmad).
2. Hadis Qudsi ini menganjurkan kita mengerjakan Solat Dhuha yang mana antara faedahnya, Allah Ta’ala memberi jaminan akan melaksanakan segala keperluan-keperluan keduniaan manusia setiap hari.
3. Antara ibadat sunat yang dianjurkan dan menjadi amalan Rasullullah SAW sendiri ialah solat sunat Dhuha. Banyak hadis-hadis yang mengalakkannya dan menyatakan keutamaannya, antaranya dalam riwayat Abu Hurairah katanya:
i. “Kekasihku Rasullullah SAW telah berwasiat kepadaku tiga perkara, aku tidak meninggalkannya, iaitu ; supaya aku tidak tidur melainkan setelah mengerjakan witir, dan supaya aku tidak meninggalkan dua rakaat solat Dhuha kerana ia adalah sunat awwabin, dan berpuasa tiga hari daripada tiap-tiap bulan” (Hadis riwayat Al-Bukhari dan Muslim)
ii. Dalam riwayat yang lain Rasullullah SAW pernah bersabda yang maksudnya : “Pada tiap-tiap pagi lazimkanlah atas tiap-tiap ruas anggota seseorang kamu bersedekah; tiap-tiap tahlil satu sedekah, tiap-tiap takbir satu sedekah, menyuruh berbuat baik satu sedekah, dan cukuplah (sebagai ganti) yang demikian itu dengan mengerjakan dua rakaat solat Dhuha .” (Hadis riwayat Al-Bukhari dan Muslim)
4. Adapun kelebihan Solat Dhuha itu sepertimana di dalam kitab “An-Nurain” sabda Rasullullah SAW yang maksudnya : “Dua rakaat Dhuha menarik rezeki dan menolak kepapaan.”
5. Dalam satu riwayat yang lain Rasulullah SAW bersabda yang maksudnya : “Barangsiapa yang menjaga Solat Dhuhanya nescaya diampuni Allah baginya akan segala dosanya walaupun seperti buih dilautan.” (Riwayat Ibnu Majah dan At-Tirmidzi)
6. Dan daripada Anas bin Malik Radhiallahu ‘anhu berkata: “Aku mendengar Rasulullah SAW berkata: “Barangsiapa yang mengerjakan solat sunat Dhuha dua belas rakaat dibina akan Allah baginya sebuah mahligai daripada emas”(Riwayat Ibnu Majah dan Tirmidzi)
7. Waktu solat Dhuha ialah dari naik matahari sampai se-penggalah dan berakhir di waktu matahari tergelincir tetapi disunatkan dita’khirkan sehingga matahari naik tinggi dan panas terik.
8. Cara menunaikannya pula adalah sama seperti solat-solat sunat yang lain iaitu dua rakaat satu salam. Boleh juga dikerjakan empat rakaat, enam rakaat dan lapan rakaat. Menurut sebahagian ulama jumlah rakaatnya tidak terbatas dan tidak ada dalil yang membatasi jumlah rakaat secara tertentu, sebagaimana sebuah hadis yang diriwayatkan oleh ‘Aisyah bermaksud :”Adalah Nabi SAW bersolat Dhuha empat rakaat dan menambahnya seberapa yang dikehedakinya.” (Hadis riwayat Ahmad, Muslim dan Ibnu Majah)
9. Dalam sebuah hadis yang lain Nabi SAW bersabda bermaksud :-Barangsiapa yang menunaikan solat sunat Dhuha sebanyak 2 rakaat tidak ditulis dia daripada orang-orang yang lalai daripada mengingati Allah SWT. Barangsiapa yang menunaikan nya sebanyak 4 rakaat ditulis akan dia daripada orang-orang yang suka beribadat. Barangsiapa yang menunaikannya sebanyak 6 rakaat dicukupkan baginya pada hari tersebut. Barangsiapa menunaikanyan sebanyak 8 rakaat Allah menulis baginya daripada orang-orang yang selalu berbuat taat. Barang siapa yang menunaikannya sebanyak 12 rakaat Allah akan membina baginya mahligai didalam syurga dan tidak ada satu hari dan malam melainkan Allah mempunyai pemberian dan sedekah kepada hamba-hambaNya dan Allah tidak mengurniakan kepada seseorang daripada hamba-hambaNya yang lebih baik daripada petunjuk supaya sentiasa mengingatiNya,” (Riwayat At-Thabarani ).
10. Cara melaksanakannya Solat Sunat Duha:
i. Banyak bahan media cetak yang boleh dirujuk bagi mengetahui cara melakukan solat sunat Dhuha ini merangkumi bacaan-bacaan dalam solat hinggalah dalam sujud dan doa setelah selesai ibadat tersebut.
ii. Cuma secara asas dan mudahnya berdasarkan hadis-hadis Nabi, solat sunat Dhuha ini dilakukan seperti solat-solat lain, cuma bacaan yang dianjurkan Baginda s.a.w. selepas al-Fatihah, menurut hadis yang disampaikan oleh Uqbah bin Amir, ialah surah al-Syams pada rakaat pertama dan al-Dhuha pada rakaat kedua. (Riwayat al-Hakim).
iii. Kebiasaan yang dilakukan oleh para ulama iaitu pada rakaat pertama dibaca surah Fatihah dan surah Wasy-Syamsi atau surah Al-Kafirun. Manakala rakaat kedua dibaca Al-Fatihah dan surah Ad-Dhuha atau surah Al-Ikhlas.
iv. Namun begitu, perkara (bacaan dalam solat) ini adalah sesuatu yang subjektif dan tidak statik. Maka tidak perlulah hanya terikat dengan kaifiat tertentu dan bacaan tertentu.
v. Apa yang penting, solat tersebut diniatkan dengan betul, syarat-syaratnya dipenuhi dan rukun-rukunnya disempurnakan sebaik-baiknya. Begitu jugalah dengan doa selepas solat tersebut.
vi. Bilangan rakaat : 2 hingga 12 rakaat (2 rakaat 1 salam).
vii. Waktu : Pagi anggaran 8.00 pagi hingga 12.30 tengahari@15Minit sebelum waktu zohor.
viii. Niatnya:“Sahaja aku solat sunat Dhuha 2 rakaat kerana Allah Ta’ala”
11. DOA SELEPAS SOLAT SUNAT DHUHA:
i. Ya Allah, jika rezeki masih di langit, turunkanlah, jika di dalam bumi, keluarkanlah.
ii. jika sukar, permudahkanlah, jika haram, sucikanlah dan jika jauh, dekatkanlah.
iii. Berkat waktu dhuha, kecantikan. keindahan, kekuatan, kekuasaanMu,
iv. Limpahkan kepadaku segala yang Engkau telah limpahkan kepada hamba-hambaMu yang soleh.
Share by: MKR
Monday, June 11, 2018
Friday, June 8, 2018
RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEM (RHS)
1. RHS is the accumulation and storage of rainwater for reuse on-site, rather than allowing it to run off.
2. Rainwater can be collected from rivers or roofs, and in many places, the water collected is redirected to a deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), a reservoir with percolation, or collected from dew or fog with nets or other tools. Its uses include water for gardens, livestock, irrigation, domestic use with proper treatment, indoor heating for houses, etc.
3. The harvested water can also be used as drinking water, longer-term storage, and for other purposes such as groundwater recharge.
4. RHS is one of the simplest and oldest methods of self-supply of water for households usually financed by the user.
5. The construction and use of cisterns to store rainwater can be traced back to the Neolithic Age, when waterproof lime plaster cisterns were built in the floors of houses in village locations of the Levant, a large area in Southwest Asia, south of the Taurus Mountains, bound by the Mediterranean Sea in the west, the Arabian Desert in the south, and Mesopotamia in the east.
6. Currently, in China, Argentina, and Brazil, rooftop rainwater harvesting is being practiced for providing drinking water, domestic water, water for livestock, water for small irrigation, and a way to replenish groundwater levels. Gansu province in China and semiarid northeast Brazil has the largest rooftop rainwater harvesting projects going on.
7. Thailand has the largest fraction of the population in the rural area relying on RHS (currently around 40%). RHS was promoted heavily by the government in the 1980s. In the 1990s, after government funding for the collection tanks ran out, the private sector stepped in and provided several million tanks to private households, many of which continue to be used. This is one of the largest examples of self-supply of water worldwide.
8. In Bermuda, the law requires all new construction to include RHS adequate for the residents.
9. The U.S. Virgin Islands has a similar law.
10. In Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, the houses of the Diola-people are frequently equipped with homebrew RHS made from local, organic materials.
11. In the Irrawaddy Delta of Myanmar, the groundwater is saline and communities rely on mud-lined rainwater ponds to meet their drinking water needs throughout the dry season. Some of these ponds are centuries old and are treated with great reverence and respect.
12. In the United States, until 2009 in Colorado, water rights laws almost completely restricted RHS; a property owner who captured rainwater was deemed to be stealing it from those who have rights to take water from the watershed.
13. Now, residential well owners who meet certain criteria may obtain a permit to install a rooftop precipitation collection system (SB 09-080). Up to 10 large scales pilot studies may also be permitted (HB 09-1129).
14. The main factor in persuading the Colorado Legislature to change the law was a 2007 study that found that in an average year, 97% of the precipitation that fell in Douglas County, in the southern suburbs of Denver, never reached a stream—it was used by plants or evaporated on the ground.
15. In Colorado, one cannot even drill a water well on properties less than 35 acres (14 ha). Rainwater catchment is mandatory for new dwellings in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
16. Texas offers a sales tax exemption on the purchase of rainwater harvesting equipment. Both Texas and Ohio allow the practice even for potable purposes.
17. Oklahoma passed the Water for 2060 Act in 2012, to promote pilot projects for rainwater and “grey water” use among other water-saving techniques.
18. In Beijing, some housing societies are now adding rainwater in their main water sources after proper treatment.
19. In Ireland, Professor Micheal Mcginley established a project to design a RHS prototype in the biosystems design challenge module at University College Dublin.
20. RHS in Canada.
a) A number of Canadians have started implementing RHS systems for use in stormwater reduction, irrigation, laundry, and lavatory plumbing.
b) Substantial reform to Canadian law since the mid-2000s has increased the use of this technology in agricultural, industrial, and residential use, but ambiguity remains amongst legislation in many provinces.
c) Bylaws and local municipal codes often regulate rainwater harvesting.
21. RHS in India.
a) Pan India Potential: No authenticated potential of RHS has been assessed in India.
b) In Andhra Pradesh, the groundwater table is generally below 7 meters from the ground level.
c) By various methods of RHS, if the ground water table is raised by 4 meters by using the adequate rainfall available during the monsoon season, crops can be grown throughout the year using the ground water without facing water shortage.
d) Tamil Nadu was the first state to make RHS compulsory for every building to avoid groundwater depletion.
e) The scheme was launched in 2001 and has been implemented in all rural areas of Tamil Nadu.
f) Posters all over Tamil Nadu including rural areas create awareness about harvesting rainwater TN Government site.
g) It gave excellent results within five years, and slowly every state took it as a role model. Since its implementation, Chennai had a 50% rise in water level in five years and the water quality significantly improved.
h) Karnataka: In Bangalore, adoption of RHS is mandatory for every owner or the occupier of a building having the site area measuring 60 ft (18.3 m) X 40 ft (12.2 m) and above and for newly constructed building measuring 30 ft (9.1 m) X 40 ft (12.2 m) and above dimensions. In this regard, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board has initiated and constructed “RHS Theme Park” in the name of Sir M. Visvesvaraya in 1.2 acres (4,900 m2) of land situated at Jayanagar, Bangalore. In this park, 26 different type of rainwater harvesting models are demonstrated along with the water conservation tips. The auditorium on the first floor is set up with a "green" air conditioning system and will be used to arrange the meeting and showing of a video clip about the rainwater harvesting to students and general public. An attempt has been made at the Department of Chemical Engineering, IISc, Bangalore to harvest rainwater using upper surface of a solar still, which was used for water distillation.
i) In Rajasthan, RWH has traditionally been practised by the people of the Thar Desert. Many ancient water harvesting systems in Rajasthan have now been revived. Water harvesting systems are widely used in other areas of Rajasthan, as well, for example the chauka system from the Jaipur district.
j) RWH also being used in Keala, Maharshta and Mumbai, considered as a good solution to solve water crisis.
22. RWH in New Zealand - although New Zealand has plentiful rainfall in the West and South, for much of the country, RHS is the normal practice for most rural housing and is encouraged by most councils.
23. In Sri Lanka RWH has been a popular method of obtaining water for agriculture and for drinking purposes in rural homes. The legislation to promote rainwater harvesting was enacted through the Urban Development Authority (Amendment) Act, No. 36 of 2007. Lanka RHS forum is leading the Sri Lanka's initiative.
24. The South African Water Research Commission has supported research into RWH. Reports on this research are available on their 'Knowledge Hub'. Studies in arid, semiarid, and humid regions have confirmed that techniques such as mulching, pitting, ridging, and modified run-on plots are effective for small-scale crop production.
25. RHS in the United Kingdom - water butts are often found in domestic gardens and on allotments to collect rainwater, which is then used to water the garden. However, the British government's Code for Sustainable Homes encouraged fitting large underground tanks to newly built homes to collect rainwater for flushing toilets, watering, and washing. Ideal designs had the potential to reduce demand on mains water supply by half. The code was revoked in 2015.
26. RHS New approaches:
a) Instead of using the roof for catchment, the Rain Saucer, which looks like an upside-down umbrella, collects rain straight from the sky. This decreases the potential for contamination and makes potable water for developing countries a potential application. Other applications of this free-standing rainwater collection approach are sustainable gardening and small-plot farming.
b) A Dutch invention called the Groasis Waterboxx is also useful for growing trees with harvested and stored dew and rainwater.
c) Traditionally, storm water management using detention basins served a single purpose. However, optimized real-time control lets this infrastructure double as a source of RHS without compromising the existing detention capacity.
d) This has been used in the EPA headquarters to evacuate stored water prior to storm events, thus reducing wet weather flow while ensuring water availability for later reuse.
e) This has the benefit of increasing water quality released and decreasing the volume of water released during combined sewer overflow events.
f) Generally, check dams are constructed across the streams to enhance the percolation of surface water into the subsoil strata. The water percolation in the water-impounded area of the check dams can be enhanced artificially many fold by loosening the subsoil strata and overburden using ANFO explosives as used in open cast mining. Thus, local aquifers can be recharged quickly using the available surface water fully for use in the dry season.
g) RHS is possible by growing freshwater-flooded forests without losing the income from the used, submerged land. The main purpose of the RWH is to use the locally available rainwater to meet water requirements throughout the year without the need of huge capital expenditure. This would facilitate the availability of uncontaminated water for domestic, industrial, and irrigation needs
h) RHS by solar power panels - good quality water resource, closer to populated areas, is becoming scarcity and costly for the consumers. In addition to solar energy, rain water is major renewable resource of any land. Vast area is being covered by solar PV panels every year in all parts of the world. Solar panels can also be used for harvesting most of the rain water falling on them and drinking quality water, free from bacteria and suspended matter, can be generated by simple filtration and disinfection processes as rain water is very low in salinity. Exploitation of rain water for value added products like bottled drinking water makes solar PV power plants profitable even in high rainfall/ cloudy areas by the augmented income from value added drinking water generation.
27. Advantages:
a) RHS provides an independent water supply during regional water restrictions, and in developed countries, is often used to supplement the main supply.
b) It provides water when a drought occurs, can help mitigate flooding of low-lying areas, and reduces demand on wells which may enable groundwater levels to be sustained.
c) It also helps in the availability of potable water, as rainwater is substantially free of salinity and other salts.
d) Application of rainwater harvesting in urban water system provides a substantial benefit for both water supply and wastewater subsystems by reducing the need for clean water in water distribution system, less generated stormwater in sewer system, and a reduction in stormwater runoff polluting freshwater bodies.
e) A large body of work has focused on the development of lifecycle assessment and lifecycle costing methodologies to assess the level of environmental impacts and money that can be saved by implementing rainwater harvesting systems.
f) Independent Water Supply – RWH provides an independent water supply during water restrictions. In areas where clean water is costly, or difficult to come by, RHS is a critical source of clean water. In developed countries, rainwater is often harvested to be used as a supplemental source of water rather than a main source, but the harvesting of rainwater can also decrease a household's water costs or overall usage levels. Rainwater is also independent of salinity or pollutants found in ground water, increasing the quantity of potable drinking water available when RHS is utilized.
g) Supplemental in Drought - when drought occurs, RHS in past months can be used. If rain is unpredictable, the use of a rainwater harvesting system can be critical to capturing the rain when it does fall. Many countries, especially those with arid environments, use RHS as a cheap and reliable source of clean water. To enhance irrigation in arid environments, ridges of soil are constructed to trap and prevent rainwater from running down hills and slopes. Even in periods of low rainfall, enough water is collected for crops to grow. Water can be collected from roofs, and dams and ponds can be constructed to hold large quantities of rainwater so that even on days when little to no rainfall occurs, enough is available to irrigate crops.
h) In addition, RHS decreases the demand for water from wells, enabling groundwater levels to be further sustained rather than depleted.
i) Lifecycle Assessment - Lifecycle assessment is a methodology used to evaluate the environmental impacts of a system from cradle-to-grave of its lifetime. Devkota et al., developed such a methodology for RWH, and found that the building design (e.g., dimensions) and function (e.g., educational, residential, etc.) play critical roles in the environmental performance of the system. The Economic and Environmental Analysis of Sanitations Technologies, EEAST model evaluates the greenhouse gas emissions and cost of such systems over the lifetime of a variety of building types.
j) To address the functional parameters of RHS systems, a new metric was developed - the demand to supply ratio (D/S) - identifying the ideal building design (supply) and function (demand) in regard to the environmental performance of RWH for toilet flushing. With the idea that supply of rainwater not only saves the potable water, but also saves the stormwater entering the combined sewer network (thereby requiring treatment), the savings in environmental emissions were higher if the buildings are connected to a combined sewer network compared to separate one.
28. System Set Up
a) RHS systems can range in complexity, from systems that can be installed with minimal skills, to automated systems that require advanced setup and installation. The basic RHS system is more of a plumbing job than a technical job, as all the outlets from the building terrace are connected through a pipe to an underground tank that stores water.
b) Systems are ideally sized to meet the water demand throughout the dry season, since it must be big enough to support daily water consumption. Specifically, the rainfall capturing area such as a building roof must be large enough to maintain adequate flow of water. The water storage tank size should be large enough to contain the captured water.
c) For low-tech systems, many low-tech methods are used to capture rainwater: rooftop systems, surface water capture, and pumping the rainwater that has already soaked into the ground or captured in reservoirs and storing it in tanks (cisterns).
d) Before a RHS system is built, use of digital tools is useful. For instance, to detect if a region has high RHS potential, rainwater-harvesting GIS maps can be made using an online interactive tool. Or, to estimate how much water is needed to fulfil a community's water needs, the Rain is Gain tool helps. Tools like these can save time and money before a commitment to build a system is undertaken, in addition to making the project sustainable and long lasting.
29. Applications of RHS:
a) Agriculture
i. Missions to six Caribbean countries have shown that the capture and storage of rainwater runoff for later use is able to significantly reduce the risk of losing some or all of the year's harvest because of soil or water scarcity. In addition, the risks associated with flooding and soil erosion during high rainfall seasons would decrease. Small farmers, especially those farming on hillsides, could benefit the most from rainwater harvesting because they are able to capture runoff and decrease the effects of soil erosion.
ii. Many countries, especially those with arid environments, use RWH as a cheap and reliable source of clean water. To enhance irrigation in arid environments, ridges of soil are constructed to trap and prevent rainwater from running down hills and slopes. Even in periods of low rainfall, enough water is collected for crops to grow. Water can be collected from roofs, and dams and ponds can be constructed to hold large quantities of rainwater so that even on days when little to no rainfall occurs, enough is available to irrigate crops.
b) Domestic Use
i. In China, Argentina, and Brazil, rooftop RHS is used to provide drinking water, domestic water, water for livestock, water for small irrigation, and a way to replenish groundwater levels. Gansu province in China and semiarid northeast Brazil has the largest rooftop RHS projects going on.
ii. About 40% of Thailand's rural population utilizes RHS and was promoted heavily by the government in the 1980s. In the 1990s, after government funding for the collection tanks ran out, the private sector stepped in and provided several million tanks to private households, many of which continue to be used today. This is one of the largest examples of self-supply of water worldwide.
iii. RHS is mandatory for new homes built in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
iv. Texas offers a sales tax exemption for the purchase of RHS equipment.
v. Both Texas and Ohio allow RHS to be used even for potable purposes.
vi. Oklahoma passed the Water for 2060 Act in 2012, to promote pilot projects for rainwater and graywater use among other water-saving techniques.
vii. In the United Kingdom, water butts are often found in domestic gardens and on allotments to collect rainwater, which is then used to water the garden.
c) Groundwater Recharge
i. In Andhra Pradesh, India, the groundwater table is about 7 meters below the normal ground level. Through various methods of RWH, the ground water table can be raised by 4 meters using rainfall from the monsoon season. Groundwater recharge is critical because crops can be irrigated with groundwater throughout the year without facing water shortage.
ii. Tamil Nadu, India was the first state to make RHS compulsory for every building to avoid groundwater depletion. The scheme was launched in 2001 and has been implemented in all rural areas of Tamil Nadu. Posters throughout Tamil Nadu create awareness about RHS. Since its implementation, Chennai had a 50% rise in water level in five years and the water quality significantly improved. The plan showed excellent results within five years, and has been used as a role model to other Indian states implementing rainwater harvesting systems.
d) Industry
i. The Frankfurt Airport has the biggest RHS system in Germany. The system helps save approximately 1,00,000 cubic meters of water per year. The cost of the system is 1.5 million dm (US $63,000) in the year 1993. The system collects water from roofs of the new terminal which has an area of 26,800 square meters. The water is collected in the basement of the airport where six tanks have been put up, with a storage capacity of 100 cubic meters. The water is mainly used for toilet flushing, watering plants and cleaning the air conditioning system.
ii. RWH was adopted at The Velodrome – The London Olympic Park – in order to increase the sustainability of the facility. A 73% decrease in potable water demand by the park was estimated. Despite this, it was deemed that RHS was a less efficient use of financial resources to increase sustainability than the park's blackwater recycling program.
e) Quality
i. The concentration of contaminants is reduced significantly by diverting the initial flow of run-off water to waste. Improved water quality can also be obtained by using a floating draw-off mechanism (rather than from the base of the tank) and by using a series of tanks, withdraw from the last in series. Prefiltration is a common practice used in the industry to ensure that the water entering the tank is free of large sediment. Prefiltration is important to keep the system healthy.
ii. Conceptually, a water supply system should match the quality of water with the end use. However, in most of the developed world, high-quality potable water is used for all end uses. This approach wastes money and energy and imposes unnecessary impacts to the environment. Supplying rainwater that has gone through preliminary filtration measures for nonpotable water uses, such as toilet flushing, irrigation and laundry, may be a significant part of a sustainable water management strategy.
Shared by: MKR
2. Rainwater can be collected from rivers or roofs, and in many places, the water collected is redirected to a deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), a reservoir with percolation, or collected from dew or fog with nets or other tools. Its uses include water for gardens, livestock, irrigation, domestic use with proper treatment, indoor heating for houses, etc.
3. The harvested water can also be used as drinking water, longer-term storage, and for other purposes such as groundwater recharge.
4. RHS is one of the simplest and oldest methods of self-supply of water for households usually financed by the user.
5. The construction and use of cisterns to store rainwater can be traced back to the Neolithic Age, when waterproof lime plaster cisterns were built in the floors of houses in village locations of the Levant, a large area in Southwest Asia, south of the Taurus Mountains, bound by the Mediterranean Sea in the west, the Arabian Desert in the south, and Mesopotamia in the east.
6. Currently, in China, Argentina, and Brazil, rooftop rainwater harvesting is being practiced for providing drinking water, domestic water, water for livestock, water for small irrigation, and a way to replenish groundwater levels. Gansu province in China and semiarid northeast Brazil has the largest rooftop rainwater harvesting projects going on.
7. Thailand has the largest fraction of the population in the rural area relying on RHS (currently around 40%). RHS was promoted heavily by the government in the 1980s. In the 1990s, after government funding for the collection tanks ran out, the private sector stepped in and provided several million tanks to private households, many of which continue to be used. This is one of the largest examples of self-supply of water worldwide.
8. In Bermuda, the law requires all new construction to include RHS adequate for the residents.
9. The U.S. Virgin Islands has a similar law.
10. In Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, the houses of the Diola-people are frequently equipped with homebrew RHS made from local, organic materials.
11. In the Irrawaddy Delta of Myanmar, the groundwater is saline and communities rely on mud-lined rainwater ponds to meet their drinking water needs throughout the dry season. Some of these ponds are centuries old and are treated with great reverence and respect.
12. In the United States, until 2009 in Colorado, water rights laws almost completely restricted RHS; a property owner who captured rainwater was deemed to be stealing it from those who have rights to take water from the watershed.
13. Now, residential well owners who meet certain criteria may obtain a permit to install a rooftop precipitation collection system (SB 09-080). Up to 10 large scales pilot studies may also be permitted (HB 09-1129).
14. The main factor in persuading the Colorado Legislature to change the law was a 2007 study that found that in an average year, 97% of the precipitation that fell in Douglas County, in the southern suburbs of Denver, never reached a stream—it was used by plants or evaporated on the ground.
15. In Colorado, one cannot even drill a water well on properties less than 35 acres (14 ha). Rainwater catchment is mandatory for new dwellings in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
16. Texas offers a sales tax exemption on the purchase of rainwater harvesting equipment. Both Texas and Ohio allow the practice even for potable purposes.
17. Oklahoma passed the Water for 2060 Act in 2012, to promote pilot projects for rainwater and “grey water” use among other water-saving techniques.
18. In Beijing, some housing societies are now adding rainwater in their main water sources after proper treatment.
19. In Ireland, Professor Micheal Mcginley established a project to design a RHS prototype in the biosystems design challenge module at University College Dublin.
20. RHS in Canada.
a) A number of Canadians have started implementing RHS systems for use in stormwater reduction, irrigation, laundry, and lavatory plumbing.
b) Substantial reform to Canadian law since the mid-2000s has increased the use of this technology in agricultural, industrial, and residential use, but ambiguity remains amongst legislation in many provinces.
c) Bylaws and local municipal codes often regulate rainwater harvesting.
21. RHS in India.
a) Pan India Potential: No authenticated potential of RHS has been assessed in India.
b) In Andhra Pradesh, the groundwater table is generally below 7 meters from the ground level.
c) By various methods of RHS, if the ground water table is raised by 4 meters by using the adequate rainfall available during the monsoon season, crops can be grown throughout the year using the ground water without facing water shortage.
d) Tamil Nadu was the first state to make RHS compulsory for every building to avoid groundwater depletion.
e) The scheme was launched in 2001 and has been implemented in all rural areas of Tamil Nadu.
f) Posters all over Tamil Nadu including rural areas create awareness about harvesting rainwater TN Government site.
g) It gave excellent results within five years, and slowly every state took it as a role model. Since its implementation, Chennai had a 50% rise in water level in five years and the water quality significantly improved.
h) Karnataka: In Bangalore, adoption of RHS is mandatory for every owner or the occupier of a building having the site area measuring 60 ft (18.3 m) X 40 ft (12.2 m) and above and for newly constructed building measuring 30 ft (9.1 m) X 40 ft (12.2 m) and above dimensions. In this regard, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board has initiated and constructed “RHS Theme Park” in the name of Sir M. Visvesvaraya in 1.2 acres (4,900 m2) of land situated at Jayanagar, Bangalore. In this park, 26 different type of rainwater harvesting models are demonstrated along with the water conservation tips. The auditorium on the first floor is set up with a "green" air conditioning system and will be used to arrange the meeting and showing of a video clip about the rainwater harvesting to students and general public. An attempt has been made at the Department of Chemical Engineering, IISc, Bangalore to harvest rainwater using upper surface of a solar still, which was used for water distillation.
i) In Rajasthan, RWH has traditionally been practised by the people of the Thar Desert. Many ancient water harvesting systems in Rajasthan have now been revived. Water harvesting systems are widely used in other areas of Rajasthan, as well, for example the chauka system from the Jaipur district.
j) RWH also being used in Keala, Maharshta and Mumbai, considered as a good solution to solve water crisis.
22. RWH in New Zealand - although New Zealand has plentiful rainfall in the West and South, for much of the country, RHS is the normal practice for most rural housing and is encouraged by most councils.
23. In Sri Lanka RWH has been a popular method of obtaining water for agriculture and for drinking purposes in rural homes. The legislation to promote rainwater harvesting was enacted through the Urban Development Authority (Amendment) Act, No. 36 of 2007. Lanka RHS forum is leading the Sri Lanka's initiative.
24. The South African Water Research Commission has supported research into RWH. Reports on this research are available on their 'Knowledge Hub'. Studies in arid, semiarid, and humid regions have confirmed that techniques such as mulching, pitting, ridging, and modified run-on plots are effective for small-scale crop production.
25. RHS in the United Kingdom - water butts are often found in domestic gardens and on allotments to collect rainwater, which is then used to water the garden. However, the British government's Code for Sustainable Homes encouraged fitting large underground tanks to newly built homes to collect rainwater for flushing toilets, watering, and washing. Ideal designs had the potential to reduce demand on mains water supply by half. The code was revoked in 2015.
26. RHS New approaches:
a) Instead of using the roof for catchment, the Rain Saucer, which looks like an upside-down umbrella, collects rain straight from the sky. This decreases the potential for contamination and makes potable water for developing countries a potential application. Other applications of this free-standing rainwater collection approach are sustainable gardening and small-plot farming.
b) A Dutch invention called the Groasis Waterboxx is also useful for growing trees with harvested and stored dew and rainwater.
c) Traditionally, storm water management using detention basins served a single purpose. However, optimized real-time control lets this infrastructure double as a source of RHS without compromising the existing detention capacity.
d) This has been used in the EPA headquarters to evacuate stored water prior to storm events, thus reducing wet weather flow while ensuring water availability for later reuse.
e) This has the benefit of increasing water quality released and decreasing the volume of water released during combined sewer overflow events.
f) Generally, check dams are constructed across the streams to enhance the percolation of surface water into the subsoil strata. The water percolation in the water-impounded area of the check dams can be enhanced artificially many fold by loosening the subsoil strata and overburden using ANFO explosives as used in open cast mining. Thus, local aquifers can be recharged quickly using the available surface water fully for use in the dry season.
g) RHS is possible by growing freshwater-flooded forests without losing the income from the used, submerged land. The main purpose of the RWH is to use the locally available rainwater to meet water requirements throughout the year without the need of huge capital expenditure. This would facilitate the availability of uncontaminated water for domestic, industrial, and irrigation needs
h) RHS by solar power panels - good quality water resource, closer to populated areas, is becoming scarcity and costly for the consumers. In addition to solar energy, rain water is major renewable resource of any land. Vast area is being covered by solar PV panels every year in all parts of the world. Solar panels can also be used for harvesting most of the rain water falling on them and drinking quality water, free from bacteria and suspended matter, can be generated by simple filtration and disinfection processes as rain water is very low in salinity. Exploitation of rain water for value added products like bottled drinking water makes solar PV power plants profitable even in high rainfall/ cloudy areas by the augmented income from value added drinking water generation.
27. Advantages:
a) RHS provides an independent water supply during regional water restrictions, and in developed countries, is often used to supplement the main supply.
b) It provides water when a drought occurs, can help mitigate flooding of low-lying areas, and reduces demand on wells which may enable groundwater levels to be sustained.
c) It also helps in the availability of potable water, as rainwater is substantially free of salinity and other salts.
d) Application of rainwater harvesting in urban water system provides a substantial benefit for both water supply and wastewater subsystems by reducing the need for clean water in water distribution system, less generated stormwater in sewer system, and a reduction in stormwater runoff polluting freshwater bodies.
e) A large body of work has focused on the development of lifecycle assessment and lifecycle costing methodologies to assess the level of environmental impacts and money that can be saved by implementing rainwater harvesting systems.
f) Independent Water Supply – RWH provides an independent water supply during water restrictions. In areas where clean water is costly, or difficult to come by, RHS is a critical source of clean water. In developed countries, rainwater is often harvested to be used as a supplemental source of water rather than a main source, but the harvesting of rainwater can also decrease a household's water costs or overall usage levels. Rainwater is also independent of salinity or pollutants found in ground water, increasing the quantity of potable drinking water available when RHS is utilized.
g) Supplemental in Drought - when drought occurs, RHS in past months can be used. If rain is unpredictable, the use of a rainwater harvesting system can be critical to capturing the rain when it does fall. Many countries, especially those with arid environments, use RHS as a cheap and reliable source of clean water. To enhance irrigation in arid environments, ridges of soil are constructed to trap and prevent rainwater from running down hills and slopes. Even in periods of low rainfall, enough water is collected for crops to grow. Water can be collected from roofs, and dams and ponds can be constructed to hold large quantities of rainwater so that even on days when little to no rainfall occurs, enough is available to irrigate crops.
h) In addition, RHS decreases the demand for water from wells, enabling groundwater levels to be further sustained rather than depleted.
i) Lifecycle Assessment - Lifecycle assessment is a methodology used to evaluate the environmental impacts of a system from cradle-to-grave of its lifetime. Devkota et al., developed such a methodology for RWH, and found that the building design (e.g., dimensions) and function (e.g., educational, residential, etc.) play critical roles in the environmental performance of the system. The Economic and Environmental Analysis of Sanitations Technologies, EEAST model evaluates the greenhouse gas emissions and cost of such systems over the lifetime of a variety of building types.
j) To address the functional parameters of RHS systems, a new metric was developed - the demand to supply ratio (D/S) - identifying the ideal building design (supply) and function (demand) in regard to the environmental performance of RWH for toilet flushing. With the idea that supply of rainwater not only saves the potable water, but also saves the stormwater entering the combined sewer network (thereby requiring treatment), the savings in environmental emissions were higher if the buildings are connected to a combined sewer network compared to separate one.
28. System Set Up
a) RHS systems can range in complexity, from systems that can be installed with minimal skills, to automated systems that require advanced setup and installation. The basic RHS system is more of a plumbing job than a technical job, as all the outlets from the building terrace are connected through a pipe to an underground tank that stores water.
b) Systems are ideally sized to meet the water demand throughout the dry season, since it must be big enough to support daily water consumption. Specifically, the rainfall capturing area such as a building roof must be large enough to maintain adequate flow of water. The water storage tank size should be large enough to contain the captured water.
c) For low-tech systems, many low-tech methods are used to capture rainwater: rooftop systems, surface water capture, and pumping the rainwater that has already soaked into the ground or captured in reservoirs and storing it in tanks (cisterns).
d) Before a RHS system is built, use of digital tools is useful. For instance, to detect if a region has high RHS potential, rainwater-harvesting GIS maps can be made using an online interactive tool. Or, to estimate how much water is needed to fulfil a community's water needs, the Rain is Gain tool helps. Tools like these can save time and money before a commitment to build a system is undertaken, in addition to making the project sustainable and long lasting.
29. Applications of RHS:
a) Agriculture
i. Missions to six Caribbean countries have shown that the capture and storage of rainwater runoff for later use is able to significantly reduce the risk of losing some or all of the year's harvest because of soil or water scarcity. In addition, the risks associated with flooding and soil erosion during high rainfall seasons would decrease. Small farmers, especially those farming on hillsides, could benefit the most from rainwater harvesting because they are able to capture runoff and decrease the effects of soil erosion.
ii. Many countries, especially those with arid environments, use RWH as a cheap and reliable source of clean water. To enhance irrigation in arid environments, ridges of soil are constructed to trap and prevent rainwater from running down hills and slopes. Even in periods of low rainfall, enough water is collected for crops to grow. Water can be collected from roofs, and dams and ponds can be constructed to hold large quantities of rainwater so that even on days when little to no rainfall occurs, enough is available to irrigate crops.
b) Domestic Use
i. In China, Argentina, and Brazil, rooftop RHS is used to provide drinking water, domestic water, water for livestock, water for small irrigation, and a way to replenish groundwater levels. Gansu province in China and semiarid northeast Brazil has the largest rooftop RHS projects going on.
ii. About 40% of Thailand's rural population utilizes RHS and was promoted heavily by the government in the 1980s. In the 1990s, after government funding for the collection tanks ran out, the private sector stepped in and provided several million tanks to private households, many of which continue to be used today. This is one of the largest examples of self-supply of water worldwide.
iii. RHS is mandatory for new homes built in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
iv. Texas offers a sales tax exemption for the purchase of RHS equipment.
v. Both Texas and Ohio allow RHS to be used even for potable purposes.
vi. Oklahoma passed the Water for 2060 Act in 2012, to promote pilot projects for rainwater and graywater use among other water-saving techniques.
vii. In the United Kingdom, water butts are often found in domestic gardens and on allotments to collect rainwater, which is then used to water the garden.
c) Groundwater Recharge
i. In Andhra Pradesh, India, the groundwater table is about 7 meters below the normal ground level. Through various methods of RWH, the ground water table can be raised by 4 meters using rainfall from the monsoon season. Groundwater recharge is critical because crops can be irrigated with groundwater throughout the year without facing water shortage.
ii. Tamil Nadu, India was the first state to make RHS compulsory for every building to avoid groundwater depletion. The scheme was launched in 2001 and has been implemented in all rural areas of Tamil Nadu. Posters throughout Tamil Nadu create awareness about RHS. Since its implementation, Chennai had a 50% rise in water level in five years and the water quality significantly improved. The plan showed excellent results within five years, and has been used as a role model to other Indian states implementing rainwater harvesting systems.
d) Industry
i. The Frankfurt Airport has the biggest RHS system in Germany. The system helps save approximately 1,00,000 cubic meters of water per year. The cost of the system is 1.5 million dm (US $63,000) in the year 1993. The system collects water from roofs of the new terminal which has an area of 26,800 square meters. The water is collected in the basement of the airport where six tanks have been put up, with a storage capacity of 100 cubic meters. The water is mainly used for toilet flushing, watering plants and cleaning the air conditioning system.
ii. RWH was adopted at The Velodrome – The London Olympic Park – in order to increase the sustainability of the facility. A 73% decrease in potable water demand by the park was estimated. Despite this, it was deemed that RHS was a less efficient use of financial resources to increase sustainability than the park's blackwater recycling program.
e) Quality
i. The concentration of contaminants is reduced significantly by diverting the initial flow of run-off water to waste. Improved water quality can also be obtained by using a floating draw-off mechanism (rather than from the base of the tank) and by using a series of tanks, withdraw from the last in series. Prefiltration is a common practice used in the industry to ensure that the water entering the tank is free of large sediment. Prefiltration is important to keep the system healthy.
ii. Conceptually, a water supply system should match the quality of water with the end use. However, in most of the developed world, high-quality potable water is used for all end uses. This approach wastes money and energy and imposes unnecessary impacts to the environment. Supplying rainwater that has gone through preliminary filtration measures for nonpotable water uses, such as toilet flushing, irrigation and laundry, may be a significant part of a sustainable water management strategy.
Shared by: MKR
Monday, June 4, 2018
THE BATTLE OF UHUD: THE OBJECTIVES AND LEARNT LESSON FOR ALL MUSLIM
1. The Battle of Uhud is the secondary decisive battle between the leaders of the Quraish, and their army, against Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and the Islamic army.
2. The Battle of Uhud took place three years after the Prophet (pbuh)’s hijrah to Medina and one year after the Battle of Badr.
3. The Battle of Uhud had a main objective: to murder Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and to destroy Islam. After the Battle of Badr, where the Muslims were victorious in defeating the Meccan army, the leaders of Mecca were enraged.
4. They were humiliated and upset that their large army lost to a much smaller army. Therefore they wanted to redeem themselves and destroy Islam once and for all. The gathered a much larger army and prepared for Uhud (a little outside Medina).
5. Similar to the Battle of Badr, the Islamic army were outnumbered as well, but this time 50:1. The Meccan army had exponentially increased in size, containing 3,000 infantry with 3,000 camels and 200 horsemen.
6. The Muslim army was equipped with 700 infantry, 50 archers and 4 horsemen. Abu Sufyan, a leader of Mecca, led the Meccan army against the Islamic army.
7. Mount Uhud (the place of battle) was a very strategically and geographical benefit for the Islamic army. It provided structural defence for the Muslims. The Prophet (pbuh) had deployed his forces accordingly. He placed 50 marksmen, archers, at the slope of Mount Uhud.
8. This was to ensure that the backs of the Muslims fighting below would be protected and that the opposing force could not attack from behind. He commanded and ordered that these marksmen never leave their posting regardless of the situation.
9. On the battlefield, three lines of defences were issued by the Muslim army (exactly like the Battle of Badr). And just like the traditions of the time, a representative was called forward to start the battle.
10. Ali Ibn Abu Talib was called forth, representing the Muslim army, and the Meccan army was represented by Talhah Ibn Abu Talhah. He was also the bearer of the banner of the pagans. During that time, the bearer of the banner was considered to be the leader of the army. Within one swift motion, Ali was able to defeat Talhah and those to come after him. As the fighting began, the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) would yell: Allahu Akbar (God is Great) and charged forward.
11. As the Muslims were gaining more momentum, they rapidly defeated those of the opposing forces. That then caused for the switch from defence to offence. The Muslims were led by Ali, Al-Hamzah, Abu Dujanh and more. This causes the Muslim forces to gain morale.
12. Unfortunately, during this approach, Islam had lost one of its greatest soldiers: Al-Hamzah who was known as “Lion of God” because of his courage, bravery and skills on the battlefield.
13. As Muslims were successful in making the Meccans retreat back, a fault in those marksmen happened. The marksmen, who were posted at the slope of Mount Uhud, retreated down to the battlefield. Out of their pride and their greed, they disobeyed their orders. Seeing how less marksmen were posted on the slope, the Meccan army saw this opportunity and started to go around the mountain and attack the Muslims from behind.
14. The Muslim army, unaware and confused, were attacked from the back. It caused so much confusion, on who was fighting who that Muslims killed their fellow Muslims, unfortunately. So much so, that a lot of Muslims fled and retreated from the battle.
15. Leaving the Prophet and his loyal companions and believers behind (only about 14 altogether). Because of this act, many Muslims were killed at the Battle of Uhud. At the same time, the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) was struck with an arrow and it was rumoured that he was dead. But SubhanAllah, Allah (s.w.t) was protecting His Messenger and he was pronounced alive.
16. Ali was one of the brave soldiers who continued to protect Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) as the other Muslims left the battle. He fought bravely for Islam and May Allah (s.w.t) be pleased with him. His sword is legendary : Zulqifar. A sword that was given to him by Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w). The sword was sent down by Angel Jibreel, by the orders of Allah (s.w.t), to give to Ali.
17. As the Muslims retreated back to Mount Uhud (as the Calvary cannot reach the mountain), the Meccan army withdrew and fled the area. Many of the bodies of those killed in battle were buried at the side itself.
18. At this point, the Battle of Uhud became a significant lesson for Muslims. It was a hard lesson to learn, that caused a lot of deaths. Due to the pride and greed of those marksmen, it caused them to be reckless in battle. This act taught the Muslims to never give into their pride and to always be humble. It taught them about the evils of greed and the need to be disciplined and the need for humility.
19. “Allah did indeed fulfil His promise to you when you, with His permission, were about to annihilate your enemy, until you flinched and fell to disputing about the order, and disobeyed it after He brought you in sight (of the booty) which you covet.
20. Among you are some that hanker after this world and some that desire the Hereafter. Then did He divert you from your foes in order to test you. But He forgave you, For Allah is full of grace to those who believe.” (3:152)
SHARED BY: MKR
2. The Battle of Uhud took place three years after the Prophet (pbuh)’s hijrah to Medina and one year after the Battle of Badr.
3. The Battle of Uhud had a main objective: to murder Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and to destroy Islam. After the Battle of Badr, where the Muslims were victorious in defeating the Meccan army, the leaders of Mecca were enraged.
4. They were humiliated and upset that their large army lost to a much smaller army. Therefore they wanted to redeem themselves and destroy Islam once and for all. The gathered a much larger army and prepared for Uhud (a little outside Medina).
5. Similar to the Battle of Badr, the Islamic army were outnumbered as well, but this time 50:1. The Meccan army had exponentially increased in size, containing 3,000 infantry with 3,000 camels and 200 horsemen.
6. The Muslim army was equipped with 700 infantry, 50 archers and 4 horsemen. Abu Sufyan, a leader of Mecca, led the Meccan army against the Islamic army.
7. Mount Uhud (the place of battle) was a very strategically and geographical benefit for the Islamic army. It provided structural defence for the Muslims. The Prophet (pbuh) had deployed his forces accordingly. He placed 50 marksmen, archers, at the slope of Mount Uhud.
8. This was to ensure that the backs of the Muslims fighting below would be protected and that the opposing force could not attack from behind. He commanded and ordered that these marksmen never leave their posting regardless of the situation.
9. On the battlefield, three lines of defences were issued by the Muslim army (exactly like the Battle of Badr). And just like the traditions of the time, a representative was called forward to start the battle.
10. Ali Ibn Abu Talib was called forth, representing the Muslim army, and the Meccan army was represented by Talhah Ibn Abu Talhah. He was also the bearer of the banner of the pagans. During that time, the bearer of the banner was considered to be the leader of the army. Within one swift motion, Ali was able to defeat Talhah and those to come after him. As the fighting began, the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) would yell: Allahu Akbar (God is Great) and charged forward.
11. As the Muslims were gaining more momentum, they rapidly defeated those of the opposing forces. That then caused for the switch from defence to offence. The Muslims were led by Ali, Al-Hamzah, Abu Dujanh and more. This causes the Muslim forces to gain morale.
12. Unfortunately, during this approach, Islam had lost one of its greatest soldiers: Al-Hamzah who was known as “Lion of God” because of his courage, bravery and skills on the battlefield.
13. As Muslims were successful in making the Meccans retreat back, a fault in those marksmen happened. The marksmen, who were posted at the slope of Mount Uhud, retreated down to the battlefield. Out of their pride and their greed, they disobeyed their orders. Seeing how less marksmen were posted on the slope, the Meccan army saw this opportunity and started to go around the mountain and attack the Muslims from behind.
14. The Muslim army, unaware and confused, were attacked from the back. It caused so much confusion, on who was fighting who that Muslims killed their fellow Muslims, unfortunately. So much so, that a lot of Muslims fled and retreated from the battle.
15. Leaving the Prophet and his loyal companions and believers behind (only about 14 altogether). Because of this act, many Muslims were killed at the Battle of Uhud. At the same time, the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) was struck with an arrow and it was rumoured that he was dead. But SubhanAllah, Allah (s.w.t) was protecting His Messenger and he was pronounced alive.
16. Ali was one of the brave soldiers who continued to protect Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) as the other Muslims left the battle. He fought bravely for Islam and May Allah (s.w.t) be pleased with him. His sword is legendary : Zulqifar. A sword that was given to him by Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w). The sword was sent down by Angel Jibreel, by the orders of Allah (s.w.t), to give to Ali.
17. As the Muslims retreated back to Mount Uhud (as the Calvary cannot reach the mountain), the Meccan army withdrew and fled the area. Many of the bodies of those killed in battle were buried at the side itself.
18. At this point, the Battle of Uhud became a significant lesson for Muslims. It was a hard lesson to learn, that caused a lot of deaths. Due to the pride and greed of those marksmen, it caused them to be reckless in battle. This act taught the Muslims to never give into their pride and to always be humble. It taught them about the evils of greed and the need to be disciplined and the need for humility.
19. “Allah did indeed fulfil His promise to you when you, with His permission, were about to annihilate your enemy, until you flinched and fell to disputing about the order, and disobeyed it after He brought you in sight (of the booty) which you covet.
20. Among you are some that hanker after this world and some that desire the Hereafter. Then did He divert you from your foes in order to test you. But He forgave you, For Allah is full of grace to those who believe.” (3:152)
SHARED BY: MKR
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