Drip irrigation model using wick and
bottle developed
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-05-10/pune/29527372_1_drip-irrigation-water-plastic-bottles (11.10.2013)
PUNE: The domestic
drip irrigation system, developed by city-based environment and wildlife
filmmaker Vilas Kane, uses the principle of capillary motion to water plants.
All that one needs is
a cotton wick, plastic bottles and a litre of water. The process saves up to 80
per cent water, and can be used to water plants at home and in nurseries.
Kane has been working
on the system for over six months now. He created the model after several
trials and errors. The plant can survive for four d
of water through a process that works on slow disbursement of water into the
soil thus creating a ‘water bank’.
“Today, the most
popular method of irrigation in the fields is flood irrigation. Water is pumped
into the fields and is allowed to flow along the ground feeding the crops. It
leads to immense water wastage. Of the 100 litres of water given to a plant in
this way, it needs only 20 per cent. The plants need the moisture that is
trapped at the root level,” said Kane.
Drip irrigation, which
saves up to 50 per cent water in farms, is a mechanised or electrically-powered
system and cannot be employed at the domestic level. Per acre cost of drip
irrigation is not less than Rs 25-30,000, and every farmer cannot afford it.
Such issues led Kane to create a model that can be manually built and operated,
but works as well as the drip irrigation method.
“A kerosene lamp
works through capillary action of the wick which draws fuel from the fuel tank
to the burner, where it is ignited. I applied the same principle to my model.
In the initial stages of the experiment, I took two plastic containers, one
with a hole in its base, fixed a plant in it and placed it on top of the other
container filled with water. I placed a fairly-sized cotton wick running
through the two containers,” said Kane. The water permeated through the
wick and travelled upwards into the soil, which then retained it.
The process saved
plenty of water, which otherwise goes waste when poured into the soil from
above. “If I would fill the container below with 1.5 litres of water, it
would take seven days for the plant to use it – the plant would require hardly
around 200 ml of water. I grew chillies, roses and mustard in my terrace garden
using this method. It has one drawback. The cotton wick, in the course of a
year or so, would have to be changed and the plant removed. It is a meticulous
process and the plant may not be able to take the shock of being
replaced,” said Kane.
Kane then turned to
PET or plastic bottles to make the method more user-friendly. “These
plastic bottles are usually thrown away as waste, but are really tough for they
do not decompose. I punched a hole in a one-litre bottle of water, took a small
pipe (3-4 mm in width and 7 inches in length) and put a cotton wick (1.5 to 2
cm in width and 10 inches in length) through the pipe. I slid the pipe into the
bottle so that it could reach the water in the bottle. Within a minute, the
water inside the pipe started dripping from the wick, while its speed could be
adjusted by shifting the bottle to either side,” he said.
This model was
suspended over the plant soil. “By capillary motion, the wick soaked only
a particular amount of water each time, using one litre of water for 36 hours.
I realised that even if the plant stays without water for up to four days after
the litre of water is over, it can survive well. It saves almost 80 % of water,
as most people usually end up pouring water into the soil at one go, leading to
over-irrigation and loss of plant soil,” said Kane.
The method worked well
for those who have terrace gardens, but have nobody to water their plants when
they are away. “One can suspend a two-litre bottle of water if the need
arises,” said Kane. He said that the method would work well even for
somebody who owns 20 plants and for others who own a nursery.
“We could improve
the looks, but the operation remains the same,” said Kane. His next step
is to take the experiment to water the fields where there is lack of
electricity and water.