Rainwater harvesting systems

I am very interested in the rain water collection system which is an environment friendly design application. I am in my thesis year right now, and would like to know more about these systems.

For arid and semi-arid regions, domestic rainwater harvesting (RWH) has a proven track-record of providing water next to the house. That water has both domestic and economic uses.

The following resources will provide you with more information on rain water harvesting.

Key documents and websites

• WELL fact sheet on Domestic Rainwater Harvesting

Provides an overview of systems, component technology, planning and management, and the potential effects and impacts of RWH. This fact sheet also contains key references, most of them available online. Please check these out first. To avoid overlap they are not mentioned again below.

• Rainwater harvesting – Metro Information Guide

Information guide by the Chennai Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Board of the state of Tamil Nadu in India with detailed information about rainwater harvesting. Although focused on Chennai city, it contains a lot of information which is of broader relevance.

• What is a rain water catchment system?

The experience of CREPA
FAQ sheet on rainwater catchment systems, prepared by CREPA, Burkina Faso.

• Rainwaterharvesting.org

Website of the Indian Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The site highlights traditional and contemporary rainwater harvesting systems and identifies rainwater harvesters in different Indian regions. The FAQ (frequently asked questions), tackles queries on techniques, implementation, costs, space requirements and efficacy.

Organisations / Networks

• Greater Horn of Africa Rainwater Partnership (GHARP)

Partnership of country rainwater associations from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia whose objective is to carry out joint projects to promote rainwater harvesting in the region.

• International Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (IRCSA)

IRCSA aims to link those with an interest in the direct collection of rainwater and its storage for domestic and agricultural supply. They are intersted in both organizations and individuals who are implementing rainwater catchment technologies and who are researching all aspects of design, construction, water quality, operation, implementation, user education and related areas. IRCSA runs conferences on rainwater systems every two years.

• Indian Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)

Publisher of the rainwaterharvesting.org website, see above under key documents. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in partnership with Akash Ganga Trust, has established its first Rain Centre in Chennai (Madras), India in Jul 2002.

• Lanka Rainwater Harvesting Forum – Sri Lanka

Forum consisting of a wide range of governmental as well as non-governmental institutions promoting the use of rain water harvesting. The Forum is mainly involved in: promotion, training programmes, networking and research and development on different low cost storage techniques; monitoring the durability of the present practices; suitability of using different roofing material; quality of collected water; water user pattern and water security.

• Rainwater Partnership

This Partnership brings together leading organisations involved in the advocacy and implementation of rainwater harvesting. You can search for partnerships by type of organisation, by continent, or by country.

Books and articles

• Outputs (papers, reports) from the Domestic Roofwater Harvesting research programme of the Development Technology Unit of the School of Engineering, University of Warwick.
• Rainwater harvesting for survival and development, Uganda
  James Mwami, 2003. Paper presented at the Symposium on Water, poverty and the productive uses of water at the household level, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, 21-23 January 2003.
• Challenges and benefits of participatory interventions in rainwater harvesting: improvement of charco dams in Tanzania
  Mahoo, H.F; F.B.R. Rwehumbiza; S. Demgard-Larsen; N. Hatibu; A. Kitali, and M. Kahabi, 2003. Paper presented at the Symposium on Water, poverty and the productive uses of water at the household level, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, 21-23 January 2003.
• Rainwater harvesting and utilization : an environmentally sound approach for sustainable urban water management: an introductory guide for decision-makers. UNEP, 2002.

Please also check our library database IRCDOC,

for more titles on rainwater harvesting.

Keywords

• Water supply - Water collection