Rainwater Harvesting for Reconstruction
Practical Action
Additionally, the project offered educational
sessions to the population, teaching the
construction technique and knowledge of irrigation.
This resulted in the technology being taken up on a
broader scale in the area, increasing food
production amongst individual families and
developing community participation. The benefits
experienced by many areas of the community can
easily be translated to a reconstruction context,
where the independence and security afforded by
the solution can be incorporated into permanent
housing solutions.
Refer to the Practical Action technical brief
Rainwater Harvesting in Uganda for more details.
Figure 11: Construction of DRIP water tank in Uganda
Photo: Practical Action
Sri Lankan Pumpkin Water Tank
The Community Water Supply and Sanitation Programme (CWSSP) that ran in Sri Lanka between
1995 and 1998 installed infrastructure in three regions of country, and in many cases provided
‘Pumpkin’ tanks as above ground storage options where ground conditions were not suitable to
build an underground tank or access a groundwater supply.
The Pumpkin tank described here consists of a metal ‘skeleton’ which supports a chicken-wire
skin. The skin is plastered with cement outside; once set, the internal skeleton is removed and
the inside plastered too. The guttering system is made from PVC tubing and includes a ‘first-
flush’ elbow mechanism, whilst the tank’s inlet chamber includes layers of stone, charcoal and
sand to act as a pre-filter.
The rainfall pattern of the areas where the tank was installed consisted two annual wet seasons,
where the majority of rainfall would occur. The capacity of the tank was 5m3, which gave
sufficient capacity upon being filled for most users until the subsequent rainy season. In this
case, the technology has provided nearly enough potable water for its users’ annual supply, being
used for drinking (after boiling), cleaning and cooking. Local materials were used and the labour
required could be sourced locally.
Refer to the Practical Action technical
brief The Sri Lankan Pumpkin Tank: A
Case Study for details. There is also a
technical brief on general construction
techniques for ferrocement pumpkin
tanks.
Figure 12: Construction of Pumpkin
water tank in Sri Lanka
Photo: Practical Action
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