RAINWATER HARVESTING AND LEAKAGE REDUCTION AS ALTERNATIVES TO OPTIMISE FRESHWATER MANAGEMENT

Abstract

The need of water is a reality for human life. Due to climate change, rainfall patterns are being altered and there is a growing conscience of the need for water collection in society. Any additional water could help to mitigate daily needs and therefore, this study has determined the water provision that could be determined for each population based on rainwater collection "in situ". It has been estimated in several cities in Spain, which are representative of the peninsular and island climatology, according to the respective roof surface and annual precipitation. On the other hand, it is well known that water supply networks have leaks. The International Water Association (IWA) defined a series of indicative parameters, including the IFE/ILI parameter, which has been incorporated into Spanish regulations, specifically in RD 3/2023 of 10 January. Consequently, this study has also determined the aforementioned parameter for the same cities. It has also been calculated what the improvement in water savings could mean by applying corrective measures and sustained plans for repairing leaks and optimising pressures.