HEALTH AND SANITATION
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contractors, developers, regulators, as well
as members from municipal, provincial, and
national levels of government.
Ongoing review
The South African rainwater harvesting guidelines
will be periodically reviewed. The purpose of the
reviews is to incorporate into the guidelines all
relevant new information from international and
local sources as they become available.
To be continued in future editions of
Plumbing Africa.
Rainwater harvesting’s
nationwide adoption and
implementation have been
at a much slower pace.
www.plumbingafrica.co.za
Figure 1: Number of households using rainwater harvesting tanks as main
water source in each of the nine provinces of South Africa (DWS, 2014).
Figure 2: Typical water use in South African homes (DWAF, 2003).
Overview
The South African rainwater harvesting guidelines
will be divided into the following information sets:
• An overall introduction and discussion on
domestic rainwater harvesting within the
South African context.
• The current existing enabling environment:
legal framework and institutional
arrangements, or their lack thereof.
• The factors that can affect rainwater quality
and suggestions on how these risk factors
can be mitigated through appropriate
design, installation of rainwater harvesting
systems, and use of appropriate household
water treatment.
• The first point of contact for rainfall, the
catchment area, and conveyance systems
required to transfer the rainwater collected
on the rooftops to the storage tanks.
• The issues that must be considered when
selecting, sizing, and installing a storage
tank. It therefore provides guidance on how
to optimise the tank size and maximise
system collection efficiency.
• A synopsis of the various components that
comprise a dual system; guidance on how to
assess and then mitigate the risks associated
with cross-connection and backflow.
• Guidance on the selection, installation, and
management of the appropriate type of
overflow-handling system.
• Financial assessment. PA
Water collection in rainwater harvesting tanks at a low-cost
housing project in Kleinmond, Western Cape.
November 2017 Volume 23 I Number 9