Water Portal / Rainwater Harvesting / Rooftop rainwater harvesting

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Rainwater harvesting refers to structures which catch rainwater and store it in underground or above-ground tanks for later use. Where access to groundwater is limited, or if groundwater has a bad quality, rainwater harvesting can be an effective and low-cost solution.

Different catchment types are used, such as roof catchment, paved surface catchment, surface catchment and riverbed catchment. Water can be stored during the wet season using one of several methods, eg. an underground tank, wire-cement tank, sand dam or plastic-lined tank, until the water is needed in the dry season.

Several pump systems can then be used to lift the water from the tank, for example with a rope pump or with a deep well pump, which can elevate water up to a height of 30 m.

Suitable conditions

Advantages	Disadvantages/limitations
- Possible in almost any climate - Rainwater is good quality water	- Storage is needed to bridge dry periods

Technical specification

Operation

Maintenance

Manufacturing

Movies

• Rainwater Harvesting Nepal, by BSP-Nepal
• Rooftop Rainwater harvesting India, by Zenrainman, [1], documenting the Sachetana programme of the government of Karnataka, India.
• Instruction
• Rain water

External links

• General Background www.unep.org
• General Background www.rainfoundation.org
• General Background www.hrwallingford.co.uk
• General Background www.rainwaterharvesting.org

References

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