Urban Rainwater Harvesting: An Approach for Water Provision for Cities in Semi-Arid Regions: The Case of Um Uthaina Neighbourhood in Amman - Jordan

Abstract

Urban Rainwater Harvesting: An Approach for Water Provision for Cities in Semi-Arid Regions: The Case of Um Uthaina Neighbourhood in Amman - Jordan Haneen A. Al Sawalqa, Rizeq N. Hammad, Fadia H. Al Nassar, Sarinaz S. Suleiman Abstract This study aims to investigate the feasibility of an urban water harvesting system at Um Uthaina neighborhood located in Amman city, the capital of Jordan in order to meet its future water demands and to reduce its increasing water costs due to the fact that Jordan is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world. The country’s renewable water supply currently only meets about half of the population’s water demands, with groundwater being used twice as quickly as it can be recharged. In order to accomplish this, different rainfall aspects were investigated and the potential runoff from the roofs and ground surfaces was calculated. This was done through calculating the precipitation concentration index (PCI) and the seasonality index (SI) in addition to the abstraction from the storm rainfall and the flood volume. The results show the amount of water that could be harvested in the study area and they reflect the high potential for rainwater harvesting application in Um Uthaina and other neighborhoods and districts in Amman city. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/jea.v8n1a3