Harvest rainwater

ALTHOUGH it’s too late for rainwater harvesting to make a difference to the current crisis, this is not a problem that’s going to go away.

Glaringly absent from all longterm planning is the harvesting of rainwater. Had this been started three years ago, Cape Town wouldn’t be in the predicament it finds itself in today.

The city receives an average annual rainfall of about 800mm. On just one 200m² roof, that amounts to 160 kilolitres of water, it’s enough water to generously supply an average home for a whole year.

Storage remains problematic. The options are plastic or fibreglass tanks, or an underground reservoir. The tanks are unsightly and the water warm; fibreglass, unlike plastic, lasts for ever. The reservoir is a cheaper option, unless the plastering is not professionally done, and it must be fibre-glassed. I would recommend 4m in diameter by 2.5-3m deep. Underground the water is very cold and potable.

For only one month in five years have we needed municipal water. The reservoir and pump have already paid for themselves.

Dams should be fundamentally for agriculture and industry; we should be responsible ourselves for home water if we have the room in the garden.

It’s time for the municipality to have plans drawn up and give every encouragement to homeowners, even though they will lose revenue. See more at https://www.bernard-preston. com/Rainwater-harvesting-model.html Barrie Lewis Hilton