Rain Water Harvesting In The Twenty-First Century
Rain water harvesting is a ancient practice in many parts of the world. In India there is even a caste of people who have specialized in it since time immemorial. Their techniques have been passed down through generations and are still used. However, in other parts of the world it seems to be a new and innovative idea.
A process of urbanization has been in progress since the eighteenth century and cities are still growing around the world. State and government water supply systems tend to operate as essential but largely unnoticed utilities. The availability of potable liquid in taps is taken for granted.
However, practices of water collection and use are currently undergoing a dramatic reformulation. Global warming is under way and projections are that temperatures will rise by 4 degrees Fahrenheit by 2050. This will affect all aspects of supply, from inflows to run-off and evaporation from large liquid bodies. Thought has to be given to more efficient and sustainable use of what is in effect the world's most important and threatened natural resources.
Until recently it was widely assumed that it was so abundant that it had only to be redirected from dams and rivers into individual homes. The responsibility for doing this in cities was accorded to utilities that had the obligation to deliver potable refreshment through taps. Contemporary research has revealed, however, that it is often more economical for individual home owners to collect both precipitation and energy directly from the sun and the sky, as was the situation long before urbanization.
In at least one American state there are laws that forbid people to collect precipitation that falls from the skies onto the roofs of their houses. The argument is that what falls from the skies actually belongs to the state and not to individuals. Legislation has prevented people from gathering the precipitation that falls onto the roofs of their houses. In the light of recent research such legislation is changing. Now, people who have special permission to use wells may also collect rainfall and use it for gardening.
Products such as collection barrels, filters and pumps are now available in Colorado and those who wish to may install ponds and features fed naturally by H2O that falls on roofs as has been done for so many centuries in India. Modern pumps are an improvement on pure gravity since they can switch on and off automatically to maintain levels to ensure continuous gravitational flows.
Gardeners may choose between available options. A simple barrel may be used as a reservoir to feed a pond, or a larger underground system with a subterranean filtration plant may be installed. In both cases a small pump will be required to circulate the contents so that there is hardly any wastage. Conservation is in action, and also sustainable development, since moist micro-environments are created.
In all plumbing activities gravity plays an important part. In gardening it is useful to use gravity in order to create natural effects, with the natural gravitational flow of streams and rivers. This can only be achieved with the use of pumps, containers and filtration systems that help to recycle liquid so that it is used economically to create micro-climates within gardens. These tiny aquatic worlds within the world can be fed by rain water harvesting and in their own small ways help to counter global warming and water shortages.
In some parts of the world precipitation is sparse. It may occur in the form of mist or drizzle. In Oman, for example, the mountains in the southern parts of the country receive days of heavy mist. Some of this is collected from the leaves of trees and bushes as droplets fall onto plastic sheets. It is fed into containers and then pumped into homes. This seems to be be a satisfying way of harvesting rain water since technology and natural features are neatly synchronized.
True Pump carries the complete range of Aquascape's Rain Water Harvesting products including rain barrels and the RainXchange product. Call or email us now for a custom designed product to fit your specific requirements.
