Tamil Nadu turns to traditional rainwater harvesting

Climate change has led to seawater encroaching on coastal communities in southern Tamil Nadu. That’s playing havoc with the salination levels of local groundwater - making it undrinkable. It’s a big problem – but there is a solution: Water Tanka.

Tanka is an ancient water harvesting system. It collects rainwater and provides communities with a consistent supply of drinking water. Each construction holds around 60,000 liters of water which is enough to supply nearly 280 families with clean drinking water for two to three months. It also makes life easier for the communities’ traditional water collectors – the women.