Towards Rain Cities -- Mainstreaming urban

rainwater harvesting in cities

AAGC
January 19-23, 2010

Cost Estimation &

payback analysis
Module 7: Estimating cost and payback
analysis

A. How to calculate the quantities and costs?

B. Which is more economical storage or
recharge?
C. What is the pay back period?
D. Running and maintenance costs
E. Parameters affecting the cost of RWH
A. How to calculate the quantities and
costs?
Calculate separately for each item:

ƒ Excavation
ƒ Plain Concrete Cement
ƒ Masonry (Brickwork) Walls
ƒ Reinforced Concrete
Cement
ƒ Cement Plastering
ƒ Filters
ƒ Pipe work and manholes
A. How to calculate quantities and costs?
A1.Excavation

1. Assess topography of site

2. Level the required site
area
` 3. Excavate required volume
- Length x Breadth x Depth
(m3)

Cost of excavation= Volume (m3) x rate (Rs per m3)

A. How to calculate quantities and costs?
A1. Excavation

0.05
Brick wall 0.23

Hollow 2.00

0.23
0.05

Note: When the required volume is 5 cu m, it means the inner area

multiplied by depth
A. How to calculate quantities and costs?
A2. Plain Cement Concrete

0.05
0.23 Tank size (inner)-2 mX2 mX 2m
Volume of PCC of depth 10 cm
2.00 Length
(2+0.23+0.05+0.23+0.05)
Breadth
0.23
(2+0.23+0.05+0.23+0.05)
0.05
Height
(0.10)
0.10
A. How to calculate quantities and costs?
A3. Masonry (Brickwork) Walls

`0.05
0.23

Plan 2.00

0.23
0.05

Section
A. How to calculate quantities and costs?
A3. Masonry (Brickwork) Walls
0.05
0.23 Tank size (inner)-2 mX2 mX 2m
Volume of brick wall 23cm thick
Plan 2.00
Length
(2+0.23+2+0.23) x 2
Breadth
0.23
0.05 (0.23)
Height
Section (2)
A. How to calculate quantities and costs?
A4. Reinforced cement concrete cover slab
0.05 Tank size (inner)-2 mX2 mX 2m
0.23
Volume

2.00 Length
Plan
(2+0.23+0.10)
Breadth
0.23 (2+0.23+0.10)
0.05
Height

Section (0.10)
A. How to calculate quantities and costs?
A5. Filter
0.05 Tank size (inner)-2 mX2 mX 2m
0.23 Volume
Length
Plan 2.00
(2)
Breadth

0.23 (2)
0.05 Thickness
(2)
Section
Filter volume is 30 % of total
volume= 0.3 x (2x2x2)
A. How to calculate quantities and costs?
A6. Interconnecting pipe and manholes
Calculate the length of interconnecting pipe

Cost of pipe = total length (m) x unit rate

And number of collection chambers if required

Cost of chambers = total no of chambers x unit rate

 B. Which is more economical storage or
recharge?
ƒ B1. Storage - Ferro cement tanks
ƒ Apx Rs. 2/litre

Capacity of rooftop water harvesting system in litres

5,000 6,000 7,000 9,000 10,000
Total cost in
rupees 12,430 12,975 13,970 14,380 15,800

Source: Action for food Production and United Nations Children's Fund,
Rooftop rainw ater harvesting systems
B. Which is more economical storage or
recharge?
ƒ B1. Storage -PVC tanks

Unit cost
(Rs. Per
Brand name litre)
Hindustan, Jindal 1.8
Storex, Ganga 2.75
B. Which is more economical storage or
recharge?
ƒ B1. Storage – Brick Masonry tank

ƒ Suitable for small size underground or ground

storage tanks
ƒ Costs anywhere between Rs 2.5-3.5 per litre (varies
as per the size of tank)
B. Which is more economical storage or
recharge?
ƒ B1. Storage - RCC tanks

ƒ Suitable for underground storage tanks

ƒ Costs anywhere
between Rs 3-5 per litre (varies as per the size of tank)
B. Which is more economical storage or
recharge?
ƒ B1. Storage - Metal tank

ƒ Very economical for

smaller size tanks
ƒ Costs anywhere
between Rs 1- 1.5 per litre
S.n. Item of work Quantity Unit Rate (Rs) Amount (Rs)
How to calculate
1 Excavation costs? Cu.m 90
2 PCC Cu m 2700
3 Brick work (23 cm) Cu.m 2250
Brick work (10 cm) Cu.m 2500
4 Plastering sq m 100
5 RCC slab (100 mm thk) Cu m 5500
M 250
6 Drain pipes*
Brickbats Pebbles, sand and coir L.S.
7 packing (filter)
8 Interconnection pipe* M 250
9 Collection Chambers Each 500
Drilling a recharge bore (specify size M 250
10 and mode of drilling) (hand)/500
Contingency charges At 10 % Rs.
Total Rs.
Specifications

1. Brick work> Cement mortar (CM) 1:6

2. Half brick> CM 1:3
3. PCC> 1: 4: 8 (40 mm nominal size for footings)
4. RCC> 1:2:4 (20 mm nominal size stone aggregates)
5. Pipe 4 or 6 kg/ cm2 HDPE pipe .
6. Manhole 60 cm x 60 cm for cleaning purpose.
C. What is the pay back period?

ƒ Method of harvesting
ƒ Amount of water harvested
ƒ Depends on the city where you live
ƒ pricing
ƒ rainfall pattern
ƒ water requirements
ƒ Age of water harvesting system (esp in recharge)

An industry in Bangalore will effect better cost saving

(due to highly priced water and temporally dispersed
rainfall) than an industry in Delhi
C. What is the pay back period?
- Eg case study of storage in Tex Corp Ltd

Tex corp
ƒ Investment=Rs 5.50 lakhs
ƒ Recharge and storage
ƒ Storage capacity of 1.2 lakh litres at a time. Water
used for non potable purposes-at Delhi rate its worth
ONLY Rs 1800 but Bangalore rates 7200
And the saving on TANKERS
ƒ Savings Rs 70000 per year on tankers
ƒ Net saving: Lets say Rs 70000
ƒ Pay back period from stored water alone is 8 years
C. What is the pay back period?
- Eg case study of recharge in Jamia Hamdard
Jamia
ƒ Investment=Rs 6.25 lakhs
ƒ Recharge only- yield has improved in some wells (indicator
water levels)-power savings not quantified but can be done
ƒ Direct benefits-saving on TANKERS
ƒ Rs 3 lakhs (in 2001) now reduced by one third (approx a lakh)
ƒ Net saving: Lets say Rs 2 lakh per year (will depend on rainfall
and water demand)
ƒ Pay back period (as calculated from savings from tankers is
nearly 3.5 years)
C. What is the pay back period?
How does rate of municipal supply affect pay back period?
Table: Comparison of
water rates
minimum Unit cost slab
charges
Domestic
Bangalore 90 6 0 to 15 kl
Delhi 40 to 150 (for 2 6 to 20 kl
6 kl)
Chennai 50 2.5 0 to 10 kl
Commercial
Bangalore 360 36 0 to 10 kl
Delhi 250 10 0 to 25 kl
Chennai 400 (non water 35 upto 500 kl
intensive)/800
water intensive
Industrial
Bangalore not specified 60 not specified
Delhi 600 15 0 to 25 kl
Chennai
D. Running (maintenance) costs

You need to factor in running and

maintenance costs also:
ƒ Cleaning and minor repairing required
ƒ Replacement or cleaning of filters
ƒ Flushing of bores (mechanical or manual)
ƒ Mechanical for three hour flushing Rs 15000
ƒ Manual (using hand auger labour charges)
ƒ No energy and chemical costs
D. Running (maintenance) costs

ƒ Total cost> Number of ƒ Water treatment plants-

structures; type of Rs 2-6 per kl depending
structures on technology
ƒ Jamia Hamdard ƒ Sewage treatment
ƒ Rs 1.25 lakhs (2005)
plants-Rs 0.60 to Rs 5
ƒ Rs 20000 (2004)
per Kl
ƒ CSE building ƒ Desalination- Rs 50-60
ƒ (Rs 400) twice a year ~ per kl
less than Rs 1000 ƒ RO Rs 30-40 per kl
annually
D. Parameters affecting the cost of
RWH
1. Catchments: Type of catchments and amount of water
harvested
2. Drainage pattern: Flow direction, spreading of rainwater
pipes and flow of storm water drains
3. Retrofitting / new construction
4. Geology, hydrogeology and meteorological parameters
5. Purpose of harvesting
6. Availability of unused tanks, dry/abandoned tube wells/
open wells etc
7. Material used (PVC or MS pipe)
D. Parameters affecting the cost of
RWH
D1.Catchments

ƒ Cost of RWH system is generally directly proportional

to area of catchments
ƒ For equal size of catchments, the cost of RWH
system varies (increase) from unpaved runoff to
paved runoff to rooftop runoff.
ƒ The RWH systems when done at community level
costs less.
ƒ The cost of RWH systems in clean and maintained
catchment’s is less
D. Parameters affecting the cost of
RWH
D2. Drainage pattern: flow direction

ƒ Drainage pattern plays a very important role in over

all cost or RWH system.
ƒ If the rainwater outlets are spread all over the place
in smaller buildings, it may require more
interconnecting pipe or more structures to harvest
maximum runoff, hence more costlier.
ƒ If site has well defined drainage it may be easier to
divert rainwater into recharge structures or storage
tanks without much effort, therefore costs less.
D. Parameters affecting the cost of
RWH
D3. Retrofitting / new construction
ƒ It costs more to retrofit an existing building with a
RWH system.
ƒ Cost can be considerably reduced if RWH system is
incorporated during the planning stage.
D. Parameters affecting the cost of
RWH
D4. Geology, hydrogeology and
meteorological parameters

ƒ The nature of terrain directly affects the cost eg. The

cost of excavation and drilling on a hard rock terrain
is more expensive.
ƒ Costs are generally higher where porous strata is
available at lower depth.
ƒ Meteorological conditions also affect cost of storage.
If the intensity of rain is high, it requires larger
storage and thus increases the cost.
D. Parameters affecting the cost of
RWH
D5. Purpose of harvesting

ƒ If RWH is done to meet non potable requirements ----

less cost
ƒ If RWH is done to meet potable requirements ---- cost
is more as it requires good quality water and
treatment also.
D. Parameters affecting the cost of
RWH
D6. Availability of unused tanks, dry/abandoned
tube wells/ open wells etc
ƒ Unused tank available at site can be used as storage
tanks or can be converted into recharge wells….lot of
cost saving.
ƒ Available dry bore wells can be used for recharging
purpose---saving on drilling cost of recharge bore.
ƒ Dry open wells provide good opportunity and can
cater to larger catchments without much investment.