UK-RHA Article

The Answer to Water Shortages

The water-shortages widely reported currently in the national press echo the earlier warnings of the Rt Hon Elliot Morley MP, Minister of State for Climate Change & Environment, who recently stated that both time and water are running out – and we have to act now.

A proven, cost-effective way of addressing this particular problem is through the use of rainwater-harvesting systems. Once widespread throughout the UK, such systems fell out of fashion with the introduction of mains water supplies. They are now experiencing a renaissance in this country which has seen a tripling of the market over the last two-years.

A rainwater harvesting system, collects water that falls onto the roof of a property for subsequent use in non-potable applications, such as toilet flushing, clothes washing machines, car washing and garden watering. Typically, independent trials have shown that a domestic rainwater harvesting system reduces mains-water consumption by around 50%.

The systems are also extremely cost-effective when used on commercial and public buildings where there is a combination of large roof area and a high consumption of non-drinking water for toilet-flushing or commercial processes. Fleet-washing at distribution centres, for example, is a costly process that wastes mains water which has been purified to an un-necessarily high standard. Using harvested rainwater instead therefore makes excellent commercial and environmental sense.

When light rain falls, much of the water is re-absorbed into the atmosphere, rather than finding its way into the water table or reservoir system. A rainwater harvesting system, however, intercepts this water conserving it for subsequent use. Conversely, during heavy downpours, rainwater harvesting systems help to alleviate flood-risks by easing flows into the storm-water management grid, minimising waste and disruption. Use of harvested rainwater for non-potable applications also saves the energy that would otherwise be wasted in bringing water un-necessarily up to mains, drinking water standard.

As the world faces the pressure of climate change and water shortages, we can expect to see an increase in the use of rainwater harvesting. This is reflected in the year-on-year growth in the UK for systems which currently approaches 100%.

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