Rainwater harvesting
Practical Action
be fitted to all openings. Some practitioners recommend the use of 1 to 2 teaspoons of
household kerosene in a tank of water which provides a film to prevent mosquitoes settling on
the water.
There are several simple methods of treatment for water before drinking.
Boiling water will kill any harmful bacteria which may be present
Adding chlorine in the right quantity (35ml of sodium hypochlorite per 1000 litres of
water) will disinfect the water
Slow sand filtration will remove any harmful organisms when carried out properly
A recently developed technique called SODIS (SOlar DISinfection) utilises plastic bottles
which are filled with water and placed in the sun for one full day. The back of the bottle
is painted black. More information can be found through the Resource Section at the
end of this document.
Rainwater harvesting resources
References and further reading
Runoff Rainwater Harvesting Practical Action Technical Brief
The Sri Lankan ‘Pumpkin’ Tank ~ Case Study Practical Action Technical Brief
The Underground Brick Dome Water Tank ~ Case Study Practical Action Technical Brief
Cement Mortar Jar ~ Case Study Practical Action Technical Brief
Rainwater Catchment Systems for Domestic Supply, by John Gould and Erik Nissen-
Petersen, Practical Action Publishing 1999.
Ferrocement Water tanks and their Construction, S. B. Watt. Practical Action Publishing
1978
Rainwater Harvesting: The Collection of Rainfall and Runoff in Rural Areas, Arnold Pacey
and Adrian Cullis Practical Action Publishing 1986
Water Harvesting – A Guide for Planners and Project Managers, Lee, Michael D. and
Visscher, Jan Teun, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre, 1992
Water Harvesting in five African Countries, Lee, Michael D. and Visscher, Jan Teun, IRC /
UNICEF, 1990. As snapshot of the status of RWH in five African countries.
Waterlines Journal Vol. 18, No 3, January 2000 and Vol. 14, No.2, October 1995 Both
issues are dedicated to rainwater harvesting, available through Practical Action
Publishing
Photo-manuals by Eric Nissen-Petersen. A range of manuals on how to build a number of
tank types including: cylindrical water tanks with dome, an underground tank, smaller
water tanks and jars, installation gutters and splash-guards, available from the author at:
P.O. Box 38, Kibwezi, Kenya.
Rainwater Catchment Systems – Reflections and Prospects, John Gould, Waterlines
Vol.18 No. 3, January 2000.
Domestic Water Supply Using Rainwater Harvesting, by T.H.Thomas, Director of the
Development Technology Unit (DTU), University of Warwick. The article is available on
DTU’s Website
Waterlines back issues containing rainwater harvesting articles: Vols 17(3), 16(4), 15(3),
14(2), 11(4), 8(3), 7(4), 5(4), 5(3), 4(4), 4(3), 3(3), 3(2), 3(1), 2(4), 2(1), 1(1).
Video
Mvua ni Maji – Rain is Water, Rainwater Harvesting by Women’s Groups in Kenya, FAKT,
1996. 27 min VHS/PAL. A Kenyan film team documented this success story on the
occasion of the visit of a delegation of Ugandan women who came to learn the skills of
rainwater harvesting from their Kenyan sisters. Available through FAKT
A Gift from the Sky – An Overview of Roofwater Harvesting in Sri Lanka. Available from
the Lanka Rainwater Harvesting Forum
Construction of Water Tanks for Rainwater Harvesting – a video manual prepared by Eric
Nissen-Petersen (see above).
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