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What’s next in rainwater harvesting systems

rain water harvesting
As we know it:

Rainwater harvesting is a system by which, the rainwater that collects on the roofs and the area around the buildings is directed into open wells through a filter tank or into a percolation chamber, built specifically for this purpose. The rainwater is directly or recharged into the ground to improve ground water situation of an area. Rainwater collection is an important way of saving ground water or replenishing degrading ground water situation in arid and semi-arid climates which sees little or no rainfall. Rainwater harvesting is especially needed in areas which has a large population or has deficient rainfall or has a bad ground water situation. Today rainwater harvesting is very popular in urban homes. People engage in rainwater harvesting in order to save on their water bills and also to save ground water in their regions.

Need for change:

This traditional method of rainwater harvesting depends on the amount of rainfall an area receives and that can be a big handicap at times. Uncertain weather condition is a feature of many parts of the world e.g. regions of south and South east Asia. There are also areas which experience a long dry spell in between two rainfall season e.g. areas of the Mediterranean. Therefore uncertainty and lack of rainfall is a big hindrance to effective rainwater harvesting. People living in these and other areas which faces similar problems, cannot practice rainwater harvesting all year round. But demand for water does not decrease in the dry seasons. On the contrary it increases. So people are looking to find solutions to this problem.

What’s Next

1) Accumuwater Water Tower collects rainwater for gardening:

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What’s new:

The Accumuwater Water towers aims to provide people with access to fresh water where there is none. The design of the tower has been done by Mojorno and is inspired from nature. This tower shaped object is actually a tank which can hold water into its hollow belly. The towers glow at night since they are painted with fluorescent materials.

What difference will it make:

The concept that worked behind creating these tower shaped tanks is that they can be located easily at places where water is needed. They can be easily placed in the middle of a field to provide water to the trees. The water from the tower can also be carried elsewhere by attaching a pipe at the base of the tower.

2) RainDrops – Preventing those precious drops of water from going down the drain:
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What’s new:

The RainDrop solution is basically a low cost answer to rainwater harvesting. One disadvantage of the traditional method of rainwater harvesting is that it requires a tank to save the rainwater in. The cost of those tanks can be pretty high these days. The Raindrop concept by Gant tries to address that problem of rainwater harvesting.

What difference will it make:

The Raindrop concept uses regular plastic bottles instead of a big heavy storage tank to save water. If you can save water in enough number of bottles then you can use that water for cleaning and gardening. It also reduces plastic waste by recycling the bottles for this purpose.

3) Stunning rainwater harvesting system generates electricity too:
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What’s new:

This innovative rainwater harvesting system is not just capable of collecting rainwater for you, but it will also generate electricity to light up your house from wind. The system has been designed by Julien Bergignat who has named it the Eol’eau.

What difference will it make:

As have already been mentioned above the system does not just provide water for your consumption, it will also help you cut down on your electricity bill since it can generate electricity from wind. This is one system which all the environmentalists will love dearly. It saves water by collecting rainwater and it produces clean energy at the same time. The system has been designed in two modules. The base collects water from rain and the wind turbine above uses generates electricity from thunderstorms. The base can collect up to 600 liters of water which can be used for various things.

4) Waterwall makes rainwater harvesting easy and safe:
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What’s new:

The Fatboy Tank created by Waterwall ensures that water is held for a long time without any algae forming in and outside the tank.

What difference will it make:

One of big negatives of storing water in a large tank for a long time is that algae make its home in the water. Thereby the water after sometime becomes unsuitable for human use and have to be drained out. With the Fatboy Tank this possibility is remote. It does that by covering the tanks in light blocking, UV stabilized high-density polyethylene. The tank is very durable and can hold up to 650 gallons of rainwater within it.

5) Watree – Upside-down umbrella harvests rainwater:

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What’s new:

Watree, designed by Australian designer Chris Buerckner, offers a unique solution to water woes of the people. This umbrella shaped water storage facility helps in storing rain water in its umbrella shaped roof.

What difference will it make:

This upside down umbrella can be easily parked in parks and other public places. Apart from saving rainwater it will also save people from getting wet in rain. So it does the job of an umbrella perfectly as well. The water collected by Watree can be transferred to tanks located elsewhere through a series of underground pipes.

6) CISTA – A trendy rainwater harvesting system for the urban world:
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What’s new:

Designed by architects at MOSS SUND Architects and Fig Forty, the CISTA rainwater harvesting system is a trendy looking tool fit for modern homes.

What difference will it make:

It can collect up to 100 gallons of rainwater without occupying too much space in your home. It is built from stainless steel which makes it durable. But the biggest difference that this CISTA system will make is probably due to its look. It looks modern, fashionable and perfect for your home.

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