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HEALTH AND SANITATION
The material that the catchment surfaces are made of,
has an influence on the quality of the water harvested.
Rainwater harvesting:
water quality
Guidelines for Human Settlement, Planning and Design
placed a highly restrictive guideline on the use of rainwater.
They suggested that rainwater should be considered as a
supplementary supply for non-potable use since it could
pose a health risk.
By Water Research Commission
Numerous studies have shown the potable use
of rainwater as long as contamination during
collection is minimised and efficient treatment of
water post harvesting occurs. The ambiguity with
regard to the use of rainwater would be avoided
if there was in existence established rainwater
harvesting guidelines that ensured harvested
rainwater quality for its various uses.
March 2018 Volume 24 I Number 1
APPLICABLE STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES
The quality of rainwater is assessed against drinking
water guidelines as an interim solution to the lack
of clear guidelines that govern the use and quality
of rainwater. The South African Water Quality
Guidelines developed by the Department of Water
and Sanitation (DWAF, 1996) states exactly the water
quality requirements required by the four (domestic,
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