Run off rainwater harvesting
Practical Action
How to use water efficiently for irrigation
Pitcher irrigation is an efficient method of low cost irrigation. It can be adopted in any location.
In the pitcher irrigation, unglazed clay pots are used to distribute water by seepage action
through the wall of the pot. This saves over 90% of water over traditional surface irrigation
systems and produces higher plants yield than any other traditional or improved irrigation
practice. Around 6 - 10 litre pots are sufficient to grow most of the crops. The number of
pitchers needed varies with the crop density and the type of crop.
It is important to cover the pots to minimize evaporation losses. Deep percolation losses are also
minimized under this method. When planting on a slope place pitchers by the side of the plants,
rather than above or below the plants, to minimise wastage.
Figure 16: Plant with pitcher irrigation
Figure 17: Citrus tree in home garden
References and further reading
The Underground Brick Dome Tank, Sri Lanka - A Case Study Practical Action
Technical Brief
Underground Rainwater Harvesting Practical Action Technical Brief
Wisdom of traditional collection of rainwater for domestic use by Ariyabandu R D E S,
Lanka Rain Water Harvesting Forum, 1998
Water Harvesting: a manual for the design and construction of water harvesting
schemes for plant production by Critchley W, Siegert K, Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 1992
The Sri Lankan ‘Pumpkin’ Tank ~ Case Study Practical Action Technical Brief
Cement Mortar Jar ~ Case Study Practical Action Technical Brief
Rainwater Catchment Systems for Domestic Supply, by John Gould and Erik Nissen-
Petersen, Practical Action Publishing 1999.
Ferrocement Water tanks and their Construction, S. B. Watt. Practical Action
Publishing 1978
Rainwater Harvesting: The Collection of Rainfall and Runoff in Rural Areas, Arnold
Pacey and Adrian Cullis Practical Action Publishing 1986
Water Harvesting – A Guide for Planners and Project Managers, Lee, Michael D. and
Visscher, Jan Teun, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre, 1992
Water Harvesting in five African Countries, Lee, Michael D. and Visscher, Jan Teun,
IRC / UNICEF, 1990. As snapshot of the status of RWH in five African countries.
Waterlines Journal Vol. 18, No 3, January 2000 and Vol. 14, No.2, October 1995
Both issues are dedicated to rainwater harvesting, available through Practical Action
Publishing
Photo-manuals by Eric Nissen-Petersen. A range of manuals on how to build a
number of tank types including: cylindrical water tanks with dome, an underground
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