Daniel Jones
School of Geography , Geology and the Environment
The role of rainwater collection in solving water shortages
Scarcity of clean water for sustenance and hygiene remains a major problem in the world today . Approximately 2 billion people use contaminated water sources and live in countries with high water stress ; approximately half the global population will be affected by 2025 . Therefore , rainwater collection ( RWC ) is proposed as a possible solution . It has been found to reduce water demand by up to 65 %, and can also have indirect benefits like restricting flooding after heavy storms . Harvested rainwater was also used to restore degraded hillsides in Ethiopia . However , geographical features like rooftops , vegetation or wildlife often contaminate rainwater , necessitating the addition of water purification systems onto collection vessels . Political factors are also an obstacle ; some American states permit RWC while others do not , and nongovernmental organisations ( NGOs ) may be restricted from facilitating RWC if they are perceived as criticising government policies regarding water access . Finally , RWC is also limited by annual fluctuations in rainfall ; Sylhet City in Bangladesh receives almost no rainfall in winter , meaning that collected rainwater must be balanced between present needs and storage for future periods of water scarcity . Therefore , these barriers must be overcome if RWC is to become a viable strategy .
Postgraduate Conference 2021 Page 28