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Water-borne typhus, dysentery, viral hepatitis, diarrhoea, and other intestinal infectious diseases are the prevailing diseases in the rural areas in China. The harvested rainwater is easily contaminated by air pollution, surface runoff fertilizer and pesticides, solid waste and chips at the rainwater-harvesting surface (rubbish, animal faeces, etc.), and anthropogenic pollution. With the development of technology, products made of ceramic filters have been widely used in cities where tapwater is available. However, as a drawback, ceramic filters do not apply to those rural singlehousehold families without access to water pressure. In addition, the filter has a certain service life, and it has to be frequently replaced if water quality is poor, which will burden water users with unbearable costs.

Abstract. China is increasingly confronted with serious water shortages, so rainwater harvesting and utilization have gradually received attention with advantages such as accessibility, simple operation and low cost. The harvested rainwater can be used for drinking, irrigation, municipal greening, etc., and when applied for drinking, the demand for water quality is highest. Most existing researches have put their focus on improving the accumulation of rainwater, but there is a lack of in-depth studies on how to enhance the quality of rainwater. Based on the above considerations, this paper, by summing up the situation of rainwater harvesting and utilization in China, has systematically analyzed the system components of rainwater harvesting for drinking, i.e., the consisting units of rainwater harvesting, delivering, processing and accumulating. It also explains the sources of rainwater pollution and how to deal with it. Considering that the water harvesting system can make a contribution to the society and public welfare, this paper proposes a framework of participatory management for projects of rainwater harvesting for drinking.

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