Study on Potential Uses of Rainwater Harvesting in Urban Areas
STUDY ON POTENTIAL USES OF RAINWATER HARVESTING IN URBAN AREAS
Thamer Ahmed Mohammed, Megat Johari Megat Mohd. Noor, Abdul Halim Ghazali Department of Civil Engineering Faculty of Engineering University Putra Malaysia 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia e-mail:thamer@eng.upm.edu.my
Abstract Rainwater harvesting is the collection of water volume from raindrops. Rainwater harvesting has been the main source of water supply for potable and non-potable uses in the old days because the water conveyance systems were not used for water distribution during these days and the method used for rainwater harvesting was simple and primary (rainwater was mostly collected from roofs and some was collected directly from the sky). Usage of the collected water volume from rainwater harvesting was direct and without any treatment. Presently, the water supply systems have improved but the demand is increasing due to the population growth, and development. The available water resources are limited and/or seasonal, which made the experts working in the water sector to search for solutions to the water shortage. Many countries around the world are facing water shortages. Optimization of water usage and the conservation of water as a natural resource can help to overcome water shortage. Rainwater can be used for potable and non-potable uses. The potable uses include drinking, bathing, and cooking and washing. Usually, the rainwater used for this purpose must be treated to remove the contaminants. Non-potable uses include flushing toilets, watering garden and washing floor and treatment of rainwater is not required for these purposes. The volume of rainwater collected from rainwater harvesting system varying from place to place and depends on weather. In a tropical country like Malaysia it is easy to collect 2 m3 in a single rain while 10 m3 was collected annually in Zambia, Africa from a roof of almost of the same size. The main advantages of rainwater harvesting systems are
Thamer Ahmed Mohammed, Megat Johari Megat Mohd. Noor, Abdul Halim Ghazali Department of Civil Engineering Faculty of Engineering University Putra Malaysia 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia e-mail:thamer@eng.upm.edu.my
Abstract Rainwater harvesting is the collection of water volume from raindrops. Rainwater harvesting has been the main source of water supply for potable and non-potable uses in the old days because the water conveyance systems were not used for water distribution during these days and the method used for rainwater harvesting was simple and primary (rainwater was mostly collected from roofs and some was collected directly from the sky). Usage of the collected water volume from rainwater harvesting was direct and without any treatment. Presently, the water supply systems have improved but the demand is increasing due to the population growth, and development. The available water resources are limited and/or seasonal, which made the experts working in the water sector to search for solutions to the water shortage. Many countries around the world are facing water shortages. Optimization of water usage and the conservation of water as a natural resource can help to overcome water shortage. Rainwater can be used for potable and non-potable uses. The potable uses include drinking, bathing, and cooking and washing. Usually, the rainwater used for this purpose must be treated to remove the contaminants. Non-potable uses include flushing toilets, watering garden and washing floor and treatment of rainwater is not required for these purposes. The volume of rainwater collected from rainwater harvesting system varying from place to place and depends on weather. In a tropical country like Malaysia it is easy to collect 2 m3 in a single rain while 10 m3 was collected annually in Zambia, Africa from a roof of almost of the same size. The main advantages of rainwater harvesting systems are