Rain Water Utilization Potential in Santarém – Pará

Abstract

Despite the large volumes of water that compose the water resources in the Amazon, there is still the difficulty of obtaining safe water for human consumption. In Santarém, only 45,34% of the population has access to treated water (Instituto Trata Brasil, 2016). In this scenario, some alternatives to water supply need to be evaluated, the rainwater is one of them. Thus, this paper presents a study of the potential for potable water savings in homes in the municipality of Santarém in Pará. For this were applied the methods proposed by Ghisi and Flowers , in which the relationship between rainfall, water demand and roof area for determining the potential of rainwater use in the studied municipality. The results indicate that the potential for potable water savings ranging between 10 and 100% The main conclusion of this research is that rainwater is a viable alternative to add to the conventional water supply. And that with the use of this feature, there would be significant savings in drinking water and consequently the preservation of water resources in the Amazon .