Hyderabad, Aug 18 (IANS): A retired banker from Telangana gazes eagerly towards the skies for rainwater as this water is the secret of his health.

Ponnada Vasantha Kumar, a resident of Sangareddy town in Telangana, has never had water from any other source for the last three decades.

Every rainy season the retired banker stores the rain water and uses it throughout the year. Kumar collects rain water from his rooftop in six drums lined up in the balcony of his home. He has installed a system at his house to collect the rain water through a pipe.

He mixes some alum in each drum which results in dust particles getting deposited at the bottom and uses the water after a couple of days. "After filtering the water, I store it in a copper vessel and use it for drinking. I don't use any other water and this has been my practice for the last 32 years," said Kumar.

Kumar said he never took ill and never had to use any medicine. "I don't have problems like joint pains, blood pressure or diabetes. Even in this rainy season, I sweat and I believe it's all due to the rain water which has all the minerals in required quantity," he said.

He also used the rainwater for cooking purposes as well. Even six years after retirement from a local bank, Kumar is physically fit. He personally does all his daily chores at home, walks and cycles in the town.

"We have nature's biggest gift in the form of rain water but unfortunately we don't use it. I can't describe in words the taste and benefits of rainwater," said Kumar.

He realised the benefits of rainwater three decades ago when he returned to Sangareddy after spending a few years in Hyderabad. "People used to tell me that water from Gandipet has made you healthy and fair. I began thinking what is so special about water from Gandipet and then I found that this reservoir is rainfed," he said.

After shifting to Sangareddy, Kumar started drinking rain water and made it a habit.

He eagerly waits for the rainy season. He doesn't store water from the first showers as it contains more dust particles. Due to copious rains in Sangareddy almost every year, he has never faced a shortage.