Importance of Water Conservation and Rainwater Harvesting

Conservation of natural resource is a crucial step towards ensuring a sustainable future -especially with the ongoing climate change threat and the rapidly increasing population. Water spans around 70 percent of the entire planet. However, only one percent of it is fit for drinking. Due to this, the concept of water conservation or rainwater harvesting is crucial to ensure availability of fresh, clean water for a longer period in the coming future.  

The process of rain water harvesting can be executed in both commercial as well as residential buildings. There are several benefits of water harvesting -especially with the use of water tanks. While rainwater that is collected might not be suitable for drinking or cooking, it still finds its applications in various other areas like watering plants, washing clothes, and even flushing toilets. You can look forward to increasing water savings by around 40 percent when you implement a dedicated water tank for rainwater harvesting. It will ultimately help in minimizing the overall water bill monthly. 
 

What is Rain Water Harvesting and How Does it Work?

The process of rainwater harvesting involves collecting rainwater from the roof or other types of surfaces of a building, and directing the same in a dedicated tank or cistern for storage and further use. It is possible to collect rainwater from roofs and other surfaces. To make this water usable, it is important to eliminate all possible contaminants like pollutants, dirt, and debris. The collected water should be stored in durable and strong water tanks. As far as storage of water is concerned, you should only trust professional water storage tank manufacturers like Topline Industries. Plastic Bathroom Taps: What You Need To Know 

Eventually, water is delivered to the tank with the help of a pump or gravity. In the harvesting system, water is expected to travel through a well-designed piping or plumbing system. It is because it is still unfit for drinking. If you look into a standard water harvesting system for water conservation, it will have the following components: 

1. Water Storage Tank: Its location and the overall capacity will vary depending on the availability of space and the primary purpose of the tank. 
2. Control Unit: It is used for monitoring the water level in the storage tank. Some control units are helpful in providing additional information like pump pressure and water temperature. 
3. Filters: Filters are used for keeping debris and dirt out of water. The expected level of filtering will depend on the application of water. For instance, water that should be used for washing clothes should depict better quality than the one to be utilized for gardening. 
4. Pipe or Plumbing System: A dedicated plumbing or piping system is useful in connecting appliances like washing machines, showers, and toilets.  
5. Pump: It is responsible for transporting water to the place where it is needed. A pump is essential for systems that might be present underground.  

In addition to the existing components, it is also important to understand that building with a rainwater harvesting system will still require a backup unit for ensuring constant water supply. As the inflow of rain water is not fixed, it will unlikely meet all your diverse needs. The building should still be connected to the main water supply or system.

What are the Benefits of Rainwater Harvesting for Water Conservation?

• Reduced Water Bills: Rainwater harvesting systems for water conservation are highly cost-effective. They help in providing top-quality water while minimizing the overall dependence on nearby wells. Additionally, they are significantly easy to maintain. It is because they are not designed to conserve water for cooking, drinking, or other sensitive uses.
   

• The all-round expenses utilized in different harvesting methods tend to be significantly cheaper in comparison to other pumping or purifying methods. The overall cost of recharging water to the subsurface reservoir is also quite low in comparison to the surface reservoirs. 
   
• Ecological Benefits: When you store water underground, it turns out to be an environment-friendly methodology of conserving water. There are several ecological benefits of conserving water through harvesting mechanisms. It helps in minimizing the overall impact of flooding as it funnels off water into large-sized dedicated storage tanks for the purpose of recycling. 
   

• Moreover, it also helps in minimizing the overall load that is placed on the respective drainage systems. For the storage of water, no land area is wasted. At the same time, no population displacement takes place in this process. Therefore, stored groundwater does not become exposed to pollution or evaporation. In addition to this, the process also prevents the drying up of rivers or natural reservoirs.
   
• Adequate Solution for Irrigation: When you indulge in the process of harvesting rainwater, it helps in the collection of huge amounts of water while mitigating the overall effective of droughts as well. Most rooftops and other surfaces offer access to the right platform for the collection of water. In its natural form, rainwater is typically free from any chemical. This makes it ideal for the irrigation of crops.
   
• Reduced Instances of Flooding and Soil Erosion: Rainwater harvesting minimizes the chances of floods and soil erosion through the collection of water. It also reduces the overall flow of stormwater to minimize urban flooding. Most buildings that leverage this process of water harvesting feature a built-in catchment area on the rooftop. It usually has a capacity of collecting and storing huge volumes of water -in case a rainstorm strikes.
   

• Minimizes Demand of Groundwater: Another crucial benefit of this water collection method is that it improves the overall productivity of natural aquifers. Therefore, it results in improved groundwater levels while minimizing the requirement for potable water.  

Conclusion

Harvesting and conservation of rainwater is an ideal strategy that can be utilized towards addressing the common problem of water crises across the globe. With the use of dedicated water storage tanks, piping and plumbing systems, and additional equipment, you can look forward to using water consciously while serving as a responsible citizen. This process of collecting and utilizing water is beneficial for all communities.