Dear all,
this is a major question and I hope to start a fruitful discussion.
Which are, in your view, the main research gaps in the field of water harvesting?
Would you mind to provide recent references to the topics you suggested? Maybe we can turn this into a structured report, or even a paper.
So far, the main gaps that we have identified are:
- Comparative analyses between methods for selecting suitable sites [Refs. www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095633915301118]
- Determination of collection efficiency
- High cost of rooftop rainwater harvesting implementation in poor areas (unit cost per cubic metre of water stored) - Financial analysis including indirect benefits and LCA.
- Poor quality of water stored for long periods in rooftop rainwater harvesting systems (months)
- Social/political barrier to a widespread implementation of RWH (especially in developing countries) and role of research
- Interdisciplinarity in Water Harvesting Research
- Climatic effect of Water Harvesting [https://cgspace.cgiar.org/rest/bitstreams/90785/retrieve]
Hi Muhammad, and thanks.
I also think so, but I know mainly GIS methods using spatial multi-criteria analysis. What other strategies are available?
Water harvesting can be undertaken through a variety of ways:
- Collecting/harvesting runoff from rooftops
- Capturing surface water runoff from local catchments
- Collecting seasonal floodwaters from local streams
- Conserving water through watershed management
Depending on the type of water harvesting structure, the elements of study differs. Determination of collection efficiency is very important as all the rainwater falling over an area cannot be effectively harvested.
Thanks,
just to take note, I will add a bullet list in the main question
Rainwater harvesting is an option that could be attractive for supplying drinking water to villages in areas where groundwater is brackish. This is the case, for example, in mangrove islands, in West Africa (Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea) or in South Asia (Bangladesh).
Rooftop water collection projects, however, have had very mixed successes because they face two major constraints:
(a) The unit cost (per cubic metre of water stored) is too high for the vast majority of families in these poor regions;
(b) The bacteriological quality of water stored for several months is poor, although the main goal of these rainwater harvesting programmes is definitely to fight waterborne diseases.
These are two research themes to consider.
Thanks Bernard, I will add them!
Please check if in this form they are ok:
- Cost of rooftop rainwater harvesting implementation in poor areas (unit cost per cubic metre of water stored)
- Poor quality of water stored for long periods in rooftop rainwater harvesting systems (months)
Besides the (very relevant) technical/knowledge gap in rainwater harvesting systems listed so far, I would add a neglected point related to the relevance of national/international policies in acknowledging the importance of RWH and supporting its implementation. What are the social/political barrier to a widespread implementation of RWH (especially in developing countries) and how can natural and social scientists collaborate more effectively to address this gap?
Added!
Dear all, would you mind to provide recent references to the topics you suggested?
Relevant Discus sion on the potential of rainwater harvesting in developing nations had been provided by Oke, M.O and Oyebola O. see this link please http://www.analegeo.uaic.ro/index.php/SciGeo/article/view/345
In my opinion, lot of parameters are inclus in grafs of water harvesting , like : rainfull demand of users and price of publique water .i have a paper in this work (project) Guebaili and al 2011
good luck
Dear Oke Muritala and Abde El Karim Guebail, thanks a lot. We have already a point stating the importance of water quality and the issues of cost. Thank you for your paper. Do you have also other references?
I think we maybe need an initial bibliography of ISI Journals paper (with impact factor) to give credit to our discussion.
Dear all,
I believe this is a valuable contribution: Article Recent Advances in Modelling and Implementation of Rainwater...
. It is an editorial on "Water" Special Issue “Rainwater Harvesting: Quantity, Quality, Economics and State Regulations” .In the last lines it states:
" Further research on RWH should focus on financial analysis covering multiple benefits, life cycle analysis incorporating energy use and greenhouse gas emission, productive water use such as boosting rural and urban agriculture, and institutional and socio-political support to improve acceptability of RWH. "
We have matched the most of them, anyways I am going to update the list.
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