Water is considered sacred and a purifier in most cultures. Its mere sound is relaxing, and music to the ears. In Feng Shui, water is associated with wealth and abundance. The followers of Feng Shui prefer having flowing water in their house, garden or backyard. Apart from creating positive energy, the waterfall is a great way to decorate the house or a corner space in the garden. 

Ajit Shinde, owner of Aarya Arts, who makes customised waterfalls for homes and garden areas, says, “Portable Waterfalls come in all shapes and sizes. They can be customised as per the available space and hence are very popular among people.” 

The waterfalls do not take up much space — a small waterfall would take as little as 1x1 ft. Depending on the available space in the house or garden, one can place or design a waterfall of required size. 

Shraddha Sadamate, an architect and owner of Studio Designovation, says, “Having a waterfall in the house or garden supports ventilation. The wind flows from the south-east to the north-west direction and having water flowing in house helps in lowering the temperature during afternoons and summers and keeping the air cool.” 

Sadamate who recently did landscaping for a terrace in a residential building with a huge waterfall believes that creating relaxing spaces in the house or garden is very important apart from a landscape point of view, as it becomes a place to bond too for families. 

In a house with a separate garden area, one can create a small artificial pond to which the waterfall supplies water. The pond and the waterfall area can be decorated with plants, pebbles, flowers, lights and various other décor items. In apartments, the balcony area can be converted into a landscape feature with a small waterfall and lawn in front of it. Sun loungers can be placed in the lawn to give it a holiday feel. 

Earlier, the waterfalls used to be prepared in cement and decorated with natural stones. But due to the heavy nature of cement and the cost involved in creating and designing it, most waterfalls that are now readily available in the market, are made from fibre glass. The material is cheaper, flexible and can be easily moulded into various shapes.

How it works
A small pump is inserted inside the structure for the water to flow. Once the required quantity of water is filled manually, the pump recycles the water. Most of the waterfalls run on electricity and the power consumption is dependent on the size of the waterfall and the pump required to recycle the water. 

The waterfalls are easy to maintain, says Shinde who suggests draining out the water completely when not in use to make sure the system functions smoothly.     

Contrary to popular belief, the portable waterfalls are not very expensive. The cost depends on the size and a small one costs upto Rs. 2000. The bigger and heavier waterfalls can cost anything up to Rs 3 lakh and above.