Longitudinal assessment of rainwater quality under tropical climatic conditions in enabling effective rainwater harvesting and reuse schemes

An increasing number of people want to reduce their environmental footprint by using harvested rainwater as a source for drinking water. Moreover, implementing rainwater harvesting (RWH) enables protection against damage caused by increasing precipitation frequency and intensity, which is predicted for Western Europe. In this study, literature data on rainwater quality were reviewed, and based on Dutch climatological data the usable quantity of rainwater in the Netherlands was calculated. For two specific cases, (1) a densely populated city district and (2) a single house in a rural area, the total costs of ownership (TCO) for decentralized drinking water supply from harvested rainwater was calculated, and a life cycle assessment (LCA) was made. For the single house it was found that costs were very high (€60–€110/m3), and the environmental impact would not decrease. For the city district, costs would be comparable to the present costs of centralized drinking water production and supply, but the environmental benefit is negligible (≤1‰). Furthermore, it was found that the amount of rainwater that can be harvested in the city district only covers about 50% of the demand. It was concluded that the application of rainwater harvesting for drinking water production in the Netherlands is not economically feasible.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rainwater Harvesting for Drinking Water Production: A Sustainable and Cost-Effective Solution in The Netherlands?

Hofman‐Caris

Bertelkamp

Waal

et al. 2019

“…To determine the price of all components of the system, several price lists for mechanical equipment and installation, rural drinking water, and price quotes from several water supply stores, including polyethylene tanks, pumps, and pipes, were used. 4 Benefit cost ratio calculated in the economic analysis section for all stations, all scenarios and all schemes and comparing the average. 5,6,7 Socio-environmental criteria ranked by a Likert scale according to expert opinion and domestic guidelines and reports.…”

Section: Results Of Economic Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Worsening urban water stress is a threat to human development. In this context, rainwater harvesting systems (RWHSs) have been recognized as a simple and effective approach to ease water stress in many countries, e.g., Australia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Italy, Portugal, China, Brazil, and Mexico [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Water conservation through RWHSs is also one of the most discussed concepts in arid and semiarid areas [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incorporating Rainwater Harvesting Systems in Iran’s Potable Water-Saving Scheme by Using a GIS-Simulation Based Decision Support System

Chiu

Aghaloo

Mohammadi

2020

Rainwater harvesting systems (RWHSs) have been accepted as a simple and effective approach to ease the worsening of urban water stress. However, in arid and semiarid regions, a comprehensive method for promoting domestic RWHSs in a large-scale water-saving scheme that incorporates water consumption reducing equipment (WCRE) and gray water reuse (GWR), has not been well developed. For this, based on the case study of Guilan Province, Iran, this study addressed the temporal-spatial complex of rainfall and proposed a GIS-simulation-based decision support system (DSS). Herein, two scenarios, i.e., the typical RWHS and the modified RWHS for arid areas, were tested; and the associated economic analysis was performed and compared with WCRE and GWR. Moreover, for larger-scale implementation, the multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) technique was further applied to address the social-environmental complexity of these water-saving methods. Guilan Province has thereby been classified into three priority levels, providing a straightforward understanding of how to promote the large-scale water-saving scheme. Compared with the traditional generalized method, sensitivity analysis verified that this DSS enhanced the information value. Hence, the DSS that provides more holistic and comprehensive support has been identified as a useful tool to ease the threat of urban water stress.

“…RWHS can be defined as direct collection of rainwater from roof and other purpose-built catchments and the collection of sheet runoff from man-made ground or natural surface catchment and rock catchment for potable and non-potable uses. Studies on RWHS have been intensively carried out, since this system has several advantages for the environment and community [82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90][91]. Over the past four decades, the number of studies related to RWHS has increased exponentially as shown in Figure 3 based on a keyword 'RWHS' in Scopus database.…”

Section: Global Perspective Of Rwhsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Rainwater Harvesting in Malaysia: Prospects and Challenges

Lani

Yusop

Syafiuddin

2018

101

The mismatch between freshwater demand and its availability is a major problem that causes global water scarcity. The exploration and utilization of rainwater seem to be viable options for minimizing the aforementioned issue. This manuscript reviews the prospects and challenges of the rainwater harvesting system (RWHS) in Malaysia. Malaysia can be categorized as a country that has high annual rainfall, as well as high domestic water consumption. Thus, Malaysia is well positioned to harvest rainwater for both potable and non-potable uses. Although the RWH guidelines were issued in Malaysia in 1999, the implementation of RWHS as an alternative water resource is still very limited due to its long return on investment and poor public acceptance. Major future challenges on the implementation of RWHS in Malaysia are to achieve competitive cost, the wide application of commercial buildings, a cost effective treatment system, effective policy implementation, the application of green materials, public perception improvement, and reliable first flush technology. Some recommendations such as providing appropriate subsidies and limiting the use of piped water are necessary for implementing RWHS at wider scales.