Can you imagine if rainwater harvesting was as prevalent in the United States as in India?

• Bus stations and rail stations would be equipped with rainwater harvesting systems for sanitation and drinking water purposes.
• Commercials on televisions would promote rainwater harvesting.
• Cities would emphasize rainwater catchment as a part of development and growth.
• Government officials would recognize the importance of rainwater harvesting systems, and provide funding and technical knowledge for such measures.
• Municipal water purveyors would convert civic buildings and gardens into storage tanks to collect rain water, especially in high water use locations like gardens and laundries.

It would be, and very well could be, an entirely different place if we started to promote and construct widespread rainwater catchment systems across the country.

Prolonged drought occurring in the southeast and southwest of the United States has reminded us that we are not as water-secure as previously thought. And, maybe, we will have to start to think “inside-the-water-catchment-box” to ensure potable water supplies into the future. Most likely, we could probably take a cue from countries, such as India, that are already implementing such progressive systems.