Assessment of adoption potential of rooftop rainwater harvesting to combat water scarcity: a case study of North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, India

Rural households of the North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, India, have been drinking arsenic and iron-contaminated water from shallow tube wells over nearly four decades. In the present study, an attempt is made to establish a relationship between rooftop rainwater harvesting potential and socio-economic status to combat qualitative and quantitative water stress. Multiple linear regression is applied to 923 rural household data collected through a rigorous socio-economic survey. Five variables, i.e., costly asset, less costly asset, monthly savings, use of unsafe drinking water, and less family size, are found statistically significant for the feasibility of rooftop rainwater harvesting after performing multiple linear regression. The Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI) also showed increase in concrete and asphalt surfaces which also emphasizes the necessity of rainwater harvesting (RWH). Results would help local authorities to execute the RWH schemes in contaminated areas and thereby reducing the dependence on groundwater.