Rainwater Harvesting – Meaning

Rainwater harvesting is the collection of rainwater on sites which it falls and storing it for future uses. When it comes to the piped systems, water shortages is unavoidable, and often people find themselves between a rock and a hard place when we do not have water or any backup storage. Fortunately, rainwater harvesting is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to make sure that you have a water supply system during the shortage periods. The following are various ways of achieving the same.

Methods for Rainwater Harvesting

• Rain barrel. A rain barrel is among the easiest ways to harvest rainwater. You can make your rain barrel from a drum or a trash can and connect it to a pipe that can collect rainwater from the roof or verandah.
• DIY rain chains. Rain chains prevent rainwater runoffs by transporting all the rainwater from the collecting pipes to a storage container or a drain. They are very easy to construct and do not demand a lot of raw materials and tools.
• Recharge your wells and bore wells naturally with rainwater. Here, rainwater is directed to your underground wells through a pipe with a filter at the end. It is not only a cheap but also an effective way to replenish your water storage supply.
• Splash block. These are small concrete or plastic pieces that are used to harvest rainwater that flows from the downspout that carries rainwater from rooftops.
• Green roof. This rainwater harvesting technique requires installing garden beds on your roof to allow plants to use the rainwater directly.
• Dry system. This is ideal for areas with huge storms. It involves situating a large storage container a few steps from your property and diverting the gutter to channel water directly to the top of the tank.
• Wet system. Unlike the dry system, in this technique, the collection pipes are underground. Several collection pipes are connected to the many downspouts in a building and channeled to the underground storage tank.

Conclusion

Water is normally taken for granted until shortage hits. Rainwater harvesting is a cost friendly and effective way of collecting and storing water. It is a practice that should be encouraged globally.

By Winnie