Rainwater harvesting

configuration of domestic rainwater harvesting system in Uganda.[1]

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is the collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from a roof-like surface and redirected to a tank, cistern, deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), aquifer, or a reservoir with percolation, so that it seeps down and restores the ground water. Rainwater harvesting differs from stormwater harvesting as the runoff is typically collected from roofs and other area surfaces for storage and subsequent reuse.[2]: 10  Its uses include watering gardens, livestock,[3] irrigation, domestic use with proper treatment, and domestic heating. The harvested water can also be used for long-term storage or groundwater recharge.[4]

Rainwater harvesting is one of the simplest and oldest methods of self-supply of water for households, having been used in South Asia and other countries for many thousands of years.[5] Installations can be designed for different scales, including households, neighborhoods, and communities, and can also serve institutions such as schools, hospitals, and other public facilities.[6]

  1. ^ Staddon, Chad; Rogers, Josh; Warriner, Calum; Ward, Sarah; Powell, Wayne (2018-11-17). "Why doesn't every family practice rainwater harvesting? Factors that affect the decision to adopt rainwater harvesting as a household water security strategy in central Uganda". Water International. 43 (8): 1114–1135. Bibcode:2018WatIn..43.1114S. doi:10.1080/02508060.2018.1535417. ISSN 0250-8060. S2CID 158857347.
  2. ^ Managing Urban Stormwater: Harvesting and reuse (PDF) (Report). Sydney, Australia: New South Wales Department of Environment and Conservation. 1 April 2006. ISBN 1-74137-875-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-07-16.
  3. ^ "Rainwater Harvesting for Livestock". www.ntotank.com. Archived from the original on 2018-11-21. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
  4. ^ Kinkade-Levario, Heather (2007). Design for Water : Rainwater Harvesting, Stormwater Catchment, and Alternate Water Reuse. Gabriola Island, B.C.: New Society Publishers. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-86571-580-6.
  5. ^ Bagel, Ravi; Stepan, Lea; Hill, Joseph K.W. (2017). Water, knowledge and the environment in Asia : epistemologies, practices and locales. London. ISBN 9781315543161.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ^ Rural Water Supply Network. "Rural Water Supply Network Self-supply site". www.rural-water-supply.net/en/self-supply. Archived from the original on 2019-01-14. Retrieved 2017-03-19.