Rainwater: Solution to water woes
http://www.financialgazette.co.zw
Friday, 11 March 2011 12:44
Tabitha Mutenga, Staff Reporter
THE most valuable natural resource in the world is water. Yet people in
Zimbabwe’s urban areas seem to take this vital resource for granted although
those living in drought-prone rural areas are generally more aware of its
limited supply and importance.
However, as the country’s urban population maintain a steady rise, pressure
on the resource will limit its availability, forcing many of the urbanites
to start to conserve water and revisit the age old practice of rainwater
harvesting — an economical, safe and sustainable way of providing quality
water to households without the threat of diseases.
In an effort to enlighten the country’s urban populations, the International
Relief and Development (IRD) has been quietly spreading the water harvesting gospel through its Peri-urban Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting (PROOF) programme since June 2009 — installing rainwater harvesting systems for 2 653 households and eight schools, benefitting 26 321 people.
The programme has changed lives in the high density suburbs of Budiriro,
Mabvuku, Tafara, Mbare, Glen View, Chitungwiza, Mutare Urban and rural
Manicaland, including schools in these areas.
IRD country director, Themos Ntasis, said rooftop rainwater harvesting was
one way of ensuring that people get safe drinking water.
“We are not saying this is the only way of getting water, but we are saying
this is one option. We are also not claiming to be the first to harvest
water from rooftops; this has been done in Zimbabwe before. But what we are
saying is that rooftop rainwater harvesting does provide people with clean
water to drink and that is important,” said Ntasis.
PROOF was designed soon after the 2008/2009 cholera epidemic as an interim measure to stop the spread of the water-borne disease. Water harvested through this method can be used for all household purposes such as drinking, cooking and sanitary purposes.
Rainwater harvesting systems are simple, consisting of gutters attached to
the roof and a water storage tank storing 30 000 litres of water for schools
and 10 000 litres for households.
Even during the dry winter months, the stored water is enough for the
schools and households to last them until the next rain season.
On its part, IRD regularly tests the quality of the stored water to reduce
the risks of disease and contamination.
“Rainwater harvesting systems are simple, consisting of gutters attached to
the roof and a water storage tank. They provide abundant clean water during
the rainy season, when the highest incident of water-borne diseases such as
cholera and typhoid fever are observed. With regulated consumption and
sufficient water storage capacity, they can provide drinking water all year
round,” Ntasis added.
Frequent water infrastructure breakdowns have meant that the provision of
clean water to many households especially in Harare and Chitungwiza remains a major challenge, exposing vulnerable households to contaminated water.
Household rainwater harvesting is an option that can be considered for
improved water supply in the affected areas and depending on the local needs and conditions, rainwater harvesting provides an alternative water supply.
The United Nation’s 2006 (Human Development Report) estimates that 1,1
billion people do not have access to clean water and 2,6 billion suffer from
inadequate sanitation.
The World Health Organisation also estimates that 88 percent of diarrhoeal
diseases are attributed to un-safe water supply, inadequate sanitation and
hygiene.
Each day, nearly 5 000 children worldwide die from diarrhoea-related
diseases.
Claude Matsekeza, a headmaster at Tasi-mukira Primary School in Chitungwiza, said the school faced constant water shortages but the PROOF programme installed seven 30 000-litre tanks, which are enough for either drinking or sanitary purposes throughout the year.
“Imagine having 1 600 students in a school and not have water — not even a
single drop but this year we have had a good harvest of water, we have
enough drinking water to last us the whole year,” Matsekeza said.
Although the goal is to improve access to clean water in targeted areas, IRD
also uses PROOF as an opportunity to engage communities in water, sanitation
and health activities. The programme mainly benefitted disadvantaged
households in terms of acc-essibility.
The disadvantaged include child-headed families, the elderly and people with
disabilities.
Overcoming the crisis in water and sanitation is one of the greatest human
development challenges and for people like Violet Mashavave (66) of Budiriro
1, safe drinking water is of paramount importance to her and her family of
eight.
“The system helps me provide my family with clean water and I even share
with my neighbours, it reduces the risk of cholera outbreaks.
“We use the collected water in the tanks for drinking and cooking but it is
more than enough for one family,” Mashavave said.
She expressed her joy at the promotion of a system that has always been
there but was not being appropriately utilised.
For decades people would collect rainwater from the roofs of their dwellings
for household purposes but they lacked the adequate knowledge on how to
properly store the water for future use.