The traditional methods of rainwater harvesting are:

1. Rooftop rainwater harvesting is the most common practice in the states of Shillong and Meghalaya. Though Cherrapunji and Mawsynram, located at a distance of just 55 km from Shillong receive the highest rainfall in the world, yet there is acute shortage of water in the capital city. Nearly every household has a rooftop rainwater harvesting structure set up.

2. Tamil Nadu is the first and only state to have made rooftop rainwater harvesting compulsory to all houses. There are legal provisions to punish the offenders and defaulters.

3. In many parts of rural and urban India, people are adopting rooftop rainwater harvesting for storage and conservation of water. In Gendathur, a remote village Mysore, Karnataka, the villagers have installed rooftop rainwater harvesting structures in their homes to cater their water needs. As many as 200 households have accepted and installed this system which has earned a distinction of being rich in rainwater.