There are significant household water supply challenges including quantity sufficiency and quality, which have economic and social implications. The challenges have remained despite the efforts of government establish...There are significant household water supply challenges including quantity sufficiency and quality, which have economic and social implications. The challenges have remained despite the efforts of government establishing centralized or groundwater systems, and/or having individual crude systems. A Tanzanian rural household case study was considered by assessing the performance of a currently relied surface runoff collecting pond system for domestic purposes. A daily water balance model was applied with performance parameters, no water days (NWD) and rainwater usage (RUR). Rooftop runoff harvesting system was proposed as a water supply source in addition to the current one. Under such dual supply conditions, users can meet the drinking and non-drinking demand even in dry seasons at a minimum of 2 and 20 L/person/d, respectively. For rainwater harvesting adoption (considering selected regions), it was further established that amount and variation in rainfall impacts on quantity available for meeting demand. Increased catchment implies increased harvestable quantity, and with same storage higher reduction of number of NWD although with slight decrease of RUR. Also, increased storage is required for achieving higher RUR in case the same demand is maintained. But same storage can be maintained for increased demand relative to catchment size. However, rainwater catchment increase has greater impact on meeting a specified demand under given condition of rainfall quantity and variation. The RWH technology strategies presented in this study are replicable in other developing countries under site specific conditions.展开更多
Nowadays, rainwater harvesting (RWH) technology is increasingly adopted as a strategic pathway for reducing poverty in rural drought prone areas for enhancing agricultural productivity and boosting farm income. The ai...Nowadays, rainwater harvesting (RWH) technology is increasingly adopted as a strategic pathway for reducing poverty in rural drought prone areas for enhancing agricultural productivity and boosting farm income. The aim of this study is to assess the level of adoption and the impacts of RWH ponds on farm income in Ntarama sector of Bugesera District in Eastern Province of Rwanda. Fifteen farm ponds were visited and the level at which households adopted RWH ponds, their impact on farm income and performance in storing water were assessed. Interviews and questionnaires methods were used to farm ponds beneficiaries and the storage capacity of farm ponds was calculated to ensure that they meet irrigation water demand. Then, Microsoft excel was used as a data analysis tool. The results show that 42.5% of households have adopted RWH ponds and the adoption level of RWH ponds fails due to the lack of training about the role and use of RWH ponds before their implementation. Beside this the low level of public involvement during the site selection for ponds associated with social conflicts among water users was observed. However, it is further revealed that the use of RWH ponds positively impacts on agricultural income on 1/4 hectare per year by about 2,325,000 RWF (3100USD). The studied portion of area can bear 222 ponds of 120 m<sup>3</sup> each if all the rain is harvested throughout the year instead of being three ponds. Furthermore, we found that the quantity of rainwater harvested of 328.5 m<sup>3</sup> as a total of the 3 ponds was still too less to meet irrigation water demand. As negative impacts, the RWH technology can cause dangerous effects such as social conflicts, breeding site for mosquitoes, water related diseases, accidents and others with a level of severity of 32%, 24%, 20%, 16% and 8%, respectively. This happens when the RWH ponds are not properly managed.展开更多
文摘There are significant household water supply challenges including quantity sufficiency and quality, which have economic and social implications. The challenges have remained despite the efforts of government establishing centralized or groundwater systems, and/or having individual crude systems. A Tanzanian rural household case study was considered by assessing the performance of a currently relied surface runoff collecting pond system for domestic purposes. A daily water balance model was applied with performance parameters, no water days (NWD) and rainwater usage (RUR). Rooftop runoff harvesting system was proposed as a water supply source in addition to the current one. Under such dual supply conditions, users can meet the drinking and non-drinking demand even in dry seasons at a minimum of 2 and 20 L/person/d, respectively. For rainwater harvesting adoption (considering selected regions), it was further established that amount and variation in rainfall impacts on quantity available for meeting demand. Increased catchment implies increased harvestable quantity, and with same storage higher reduction of number of NWD although with slight decrease of RUR. Also, increased storage is required for achieving higher RUR in case the same demand is maintained. But same storage can be maintained for increased demand relative to catchment size. However, rainwater catchment increase has greater impact on meeting a specified demand under given condition of rainfall quantity and variation. The RWH technology strategies presented in this study are replicable in other developing countries under site specific conditions.
文摘Nowadays, rainwater harvesting (RWH) technology is increasingly adopted as a strategic pathway for reducing poverty in rural drought prone areas for enhancing agricultural productivity and boosting farm income. The aim of this study is to assess the level of adoption and the impacts of RWH ponds on farm income in Ntarama sector of Bugesera District in Eastern Province of Rwanda. Fifteen farm ponds were visited and the level at which households adopted RWH ponds, their impact on farm income and performance in storing water were assessed. Interviews and questionnaires methods were used to farm ponds beneficiaries and the storage capacity of farm ponds was calculated to ensure that they meet irrigation water demand. Then, Microsoft excel was used as a data analysis tool. The results show that 42.5% of households have adopted RWH ponds and the adoption level of RWH ponds fails due to the lack of training about the role and use of RWH ponds before their implementation. Beside this the low level of public involvement during the site selection for ponds associated with social conflicts among water users was observed. However, it is further revealed that the use of RWH ponds positively impacts on agricultural income on 1/4 hectare per year by about 2,325,000 RWF (3100USD). The studied portion of area can bear 222 ponds of 120 m<sup>3</sup> each if all the rain is harvested throughout the year instead of being three ponds. Furthermore, we found that the quantity of rainwater harvested of 328.5 m<sup>3</sup> as a total of the 3 ponds was still too less to meet irrigation water demand. As negative impacts, the RWH technology can cause dangerous effects such as social conflicts, breeding site for mosquitoes, water related diseases, accidents and others with a level of severity of 32%, 24%, 20%, 16% and 8%, respectively. This happens when the RWH ponds are not properly managed.
