Rainwater Collection - Essay Example

Rainwater RAINWATER COLLECTING AND REUSE By in small letters) of the of your of the school ) (city and state of the school) (date) Rainwater 2 Hypothesis Over 10 billion of sewage is produced every day in England and Wales (including rainwater waste). This waste of rainwater should be prevented. Product design could address this issue by proposing a way of collecting rainwater and also suggesting possible use. Rainwater 3 Critique of Rainwater Harvesting The very idea of rainwater harvesting brings to the mind the agony of people living in arid conditions where water doesn’t literally exist for hundreds of miles. However, that alone is not the sole purpose of rainwater harvesting. Places which receive tremendous amount of rainfall every year have as much a reason for harvesting water as those living in the Sub-Saharan deserts. It is imperative to keep in mind that effective utilisation of water is the key to reduce droughts and floods at the same time. What comes to the rescue is effective design of methods that cater to the immediate requirement of a particular region. One of the best examples is the use of LifeStraw as a water purification method. “Lifestraw was created by Danish inventor Torben Vestergaard Feandsen. The product could be a lifesaver” (Fridell 58). It is nothing but a tube that one can use to suck water. The water gets purified when it passes through the levels of filtration. This kind of wonderful design is so portable and convenient to use that people do not actually have to set up any complex infrastructure for the same. Thomas Dickson in his book ‘Dansk Design’ has described the implications of LifeStraw on the formidable task of preventing water borne diseases. He says that this product helps in preventing diseases that include typhoid and cholera which result in the deaths of millions every year. Dickson has also presented an interesting point about the lifespan of the product. “The lifespan of one straw is about 700 litres of water, so with a consumption of two litres a day, the straw can last about a year” (Dickson 550). However, things change when there is a polar shift in the availability of water. In areas that receive very heavy rainfall throughout the year, a large amount of water is directly Rainwater 4 drained without even considering a reuse plan. Considering the damaging impact that a country can face due to a shortage of water, it becomes imperative to understand the importance of saving every drop of water that can be saved. And in doing so, it is an interesting fact to notice the diversities in different regions. If some places need to conserve water due to less rainfall, some have to do that to prevent water loss. Over the years, several designs have evolved which are tailor made for the particular environment. ‘Raincatch’ is one such example that serves as an easy water harvesting method. It resembles a raincoat with an enhanced collar that serves the purpose of catchment in a rainwater harvesting system. With the help of an inbuilt filtration system, water gets accumulated at the bottom part of the coat through which it can be sucked using attached tubes. This design is the result of an innovative thinking of two Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design students. What is wonderful about this design is the practical approach coupled with the intention of harvesting rainwater. ‘Green Trace’ is another such example that proves how water can be saved without so much of an effort. It is a design consisting of a rectangular mesh that houses a non-woven fabric inside it. This fabric has water absorbing capabilities and it holds the seeds in between its sewing patterns. This entire mesh acts as an umbrella stand which captures all the water from a wet umbrella to be passed onto the seeds. The ultimate result is a gradual growth of plants that form a beautiful design pattern. This design, though very simple, is pretty helpful in optimising the use of water that otherwise may be wasted. It shows the relevance of mingling the water saving processes with the daily lives. What is fascinating about this design is that it takes very less or almost no effort to make use of it. When it doesn’t rain, the plant can be artificially watered. Rainwater 5 If such systems could be designed that allow rainwater to be put to good use with negligible effort, then certainly improved designs could help in preventing excess wastage of water in cities. “The obvious problem is that the runoff water is polluted, as, in general, most uses of land by humans mean that runoff requires treatment before it can be put to use” (Green 207). One of the designs that specifically help rainwater harvesting in urban areas is ‘Cista’. The main feature of this system is its space saving design that is the need of the hour as far as cities are concerned where every inch matters a lot. It has a vertical tank which gives way to a storage compartment at the bottom. A climbing plant finds its way through the outer frame of the system. The pressure of the water operates a soaker hose that is kept in the storage compartment. The system also consists of LED indicators that detect low levels of water. What makes this design useful is that it can be easily transported from one place to another which makes city life pretty easier considering the frequent migrations of an urban person. In a book called the Blue Drop Series Rain water harvesting and utilisation by the UN-Habitat, a bleak picture is presented about the lives of those that queue up for hours in order to fetch some water. This is better considering many who do not have access to water at all. And, it is true that even in the 21st century many urban areas are facing a great shortage of water. This could be reduced if proper utilisation comes into effect. It is an interesting fact that this proper utilisation may not require any complex systems at all. Water collected at the roof tops can act as excellent source as it will be free of mud and all other impurities that usually is present in ground water. “When collected from roof, rain water does not does not come into contact with soil or rocks, where it dissolves salts and minerals and picks up pollutants discharged from surface waters such as rivers. Rain Rainwater 6 water is also free from hard water deposits, reducing the need for a water softener and extending the life of water heaters and piping systems” (Pinderhughes 38). A simple rainwater tank can act as an excellent source of avoiding wastage of water. The rooftop acts as the catchment area from where the water is diverted for different purposes through filters. This water may be then used for washing, gardening, etc. One disadvantage of this system is the high investment costs. Although the initial cost may be high, this system acts as an excellent water saving method. Cheaper designs have started evolving and it is only a matter of time before we can see some of the most inexpensive systems available in the market. Rainwater can also be diverted for interior design purposes in restaurants. A classic design named ‘EVA Indoor Farmer’ stands as the best example. Since big cities have a lot of these restaurants, such systems play the dual role of decoration and preventing water wastage. Water that is usually drained off can be used to cultivate small plants and vegetables using compost. Water that passes through this compost not only helps in cultivation but also generates methane that helps in lighting LEDs through electricity produced through co-generators. A lot of water which is drained everyday in big restaurants can be put to optimum use through these kinds of systems. For those who live in cities, rain is considered as an inconvenience more often than not. Effective designs like the ones mentioned above can change ones perception about rain and harvesting the water that is lost. Trendy designs that can relate to a common man can easily help them to relate to this very idea of conserving rainwater. Rainwater 7 Conclusion Urban areas require a tremendous amount of water for sustenance of the ever increasing population. “Rainwater catchment systems provide urban planners with an excellent opportunity to reduce water use and to use water more efficiently by capturing runoff” (Pinderhughes 38). Because the population of urban areas may not decrease in the coming years, the water requirement is always going to remain high. And if countries have to support the ever increasing demand, they will have to implement rainwater harvesting systems. Designs like ‘Raincatch’ and ‘EVA’ are classic examples of how water can be effectively utilised for the use in cities. It hardly requires any complex systems and is mingled with the daily lives in an excellent way. This makes these designs the most user-friendly and effective systems as far as cities are concerned. Designs like EVA serve as excellent interior designing systems along with serving as a resource for water harvesting. This represents the classic adaptation of a design in respect to the city needs. If EVA serves the purpose of designing, then Raincatch is the example of a least-effort design that makes use of water even from a source such as umbrella. All such designs have a common factor that makes them most suitable for use in urban areas—minimum utilisation of space. A lot of water is wasted when it is drained off in the cities. Harvesting this water may help in preventing the tremendous water shortages that people face in the cities. Long queues extending for many hours just to get a few litres of water is not an uncommon scene in many Asian and African countries. Rainwater harvesting systems are beginning to find their place in developing nations which are facing immense water shortage. “Both for economic efficiency and on humanitarian grounds, the provision of safe drinking water for a high proportion of the world’s poor is currently a United Nations development priority” (Young Rainwater 8 117). But the practical implementation of these priorities is only possible if there is a strong and active participation by the people around the world. In order to make these systems viable, there are certain challenges that are yet to be overcome. Space is one of the main constraints in cities that challenge the practicality of rainwater harvesting. In some cases, where the space parameter has been optimised, the cost parameter becomes a hurdle. And this is also a formidable factor that will decide whether a large scale implementation of these systems will be possible or not. What is required is a healthy balance between these aspects so that a common man can think of using the technology. This is because, without proper space saving design and a reasonable cost, a common man will not find any reason to implement rainwater harvesting. Efficient technologies are evolving every day that are optimised for region specific use. With the advent of these systems, the initiative by governments and people all over the world becomes one of the topmost priorities. In the coming years, the availability of drinking water will largely depend on how much of it is conserved taking into account the depleting ground water table. And this conservation is possible by taking into consideration the effective use of all the available resources to save as much water as possible. Rainwater 9 References Fridell, Ron (2009). Protecting Earth’s Water Supply. U.S.A.: Lerner Publications Company. Dickson, Thomas (2009). Dansk Design. Austraila: Murdoch books. Green, Colin H. (2003). The handbook of water economics: principles and practice. England: John Wiley and Sons Inc. Pinderhughes, Raquel (2004). Alternative Urban Futures: Planning for sustainable development in cities. U.S.A.: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Young, Anthony (1998). Land resources: now and for the future. U.K.: Cambridge University Press. Read More