Abstract
Nowadays, available water resources face severe pressures due to demographic, economic, social causes, environmental degradation, climate change, and technological changes on a global scale. It is well known that rainwater harvesting, a simple and old method, has the potential to supplement surface and groundwater resources in areas that have inadequate water supply. In recent decades, many countries have supported the updated implementation of such a practice to confront the water demand increase and to reduce the frequency, peak, and volume of urban runoff. These considerations motivate interest in examining the current situation and the prospect of further development of this method worldwide. The present paper aims at the investigation of the current situation of rainwater harvesting (RWH) as an alternative water source to confront water scarcity in various countries around the world. In particular, the paper presents the following: (a) the causes of water shortage; (b) a concise historical overview of the temporal development of the RWH method; (c) the evolution of the concept of RWH; (d) the efforts to renew interest in RWH; and (e) incentives and perspectives for the spreading of the RWH method in various countries worldwide.
Highlights
Water is a critical natural resource that plays an important role in the health, social, and economic development of a country, food production, and environment
The overall aim of this paper is the investigation of the current situation on rainwater harvesting as a tool to confront water scarcity throughout the world, as well as prospects for spreading of the method
Rainwater Harvesting is both a simple and ancient method, which has been used for millennia in drier lands of the world, and in regions where other water resources are scarce or difficult to access
Summary
Water is a critical natural resource that plays an important role in the health, social, and economic development of a country, food production, and environment. Beyond the lack of rainfall and its erratic pattern in spatial and temporal scales, in many areas of the globe, available water resources face severe pressures due to demographic, economic, and social causes; environmental degradation; the impacts of climate change; and technological changes. Water demand is expected to increase in all sectors of production [1], while, by 2030, the world is projected to face a 40% global water deficit under the BAU (business as usual) climate scenario [2]. Owing to the difficulty of developing new freshwater resources, rainwater harvesting, as well as water reclamation and reuse, are important additional water resources. The overall aim of this paper is the investigation of the current situation on rainwater harvesting as a tool to confront water scarcity throughout the world, as well as prospects for spreading of the method
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