Rooftop rainwater harvesting has many practical benefits, and one of the key benefits it brings to the forefront is sustainable water management. As the name suggests, rooftop rainwater harvesting is a method to capture rainwater from the roof catchments stored in reservoirs and by employing artificial recharge techniques to meet every homeowner’s needs.

The chief purpose of rooftop rainwater harvesting is to make water available for the present and ever-growing needs in the future.

The rainwater collecting process can be classified into two key categories;

  1. Land Based &
  2. Roof Based

Collecting rainwater from the top of the roof stands out as a viable means as it provides a much cleaner water source that can also be used for drinking. This is termed roof-based harvesting while collecting rainwater runoff via land surfaces is referred to as land-based harvesting.

Application Areas:

Rooftop rainwater harvesting systems can be easily installed and for different applications that do not require drinking water quality and for external purposes like garden watering, toilet flushing, irrigation, cleaning, and laundry washing.

As a drinking water, harvested rainwater is used in many parts of the world and for various needs. The savings in potable water could mount up to 50% of household consumption.

Components of Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting:

Here’s a list of components in rooftop rainwater harvesting:

  1. Catchment
  2. Transportation
  3. First Flush
  4. Filter

Catchment:

The catchment of the rainwater harvesting system is referred to as the surface that receives rainfall, and it may be any open ground, be it a courtyard, or terrace.

Transportation:

To take water pipes or drains right to the harvesting system rainwater from the rooftop should be collected and carried down.

First Flush:

The first flush device is used to avoid the contamination of storable or rechargeable water.

During dry seasons it will also come effective in cleaning of silt and other material deposited on the roof and at the outlet of each drainpipe, there should be provision of first rain separators.

Filter:

To expel turbidity, color, and microorganisms from water, filters are used and water is made to pass through filters after the first flush is carried.

On top of the storage tank sand, gravel, and netlon mesh filters are designed and placed and in keeping the rainwater in the storage tank clean, this filter plays an important role because right from entering the storage tank it can clear away silt, dust, dirt, leaves, and other organic matter.

After every rainfall event, the filter media should be thoroughly cleaned.

The Need for Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting:

There are the following reasons why the need for the rooftop rainwater harvesting arises;

  1. To meet the ever-growing demands for water.
  2. Water harvesting system is used to avoid flooding.
  3. To control the absurd decline of water levels and supplement groundwater storage.
  4. To cut down groundwater pollution and improve the quality of water for daily usage.
  5. To pull off soil erosion and during summer, drought, etc. to augment domestic water requirements.

Major Benefits of Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting:

  1. Rainwater is a free, natural source of water and is relatively clean and healthy for consumption.
  2. It makes room for the key availability of water when needed.
  3. It is an environmentally responsible move and is socially acceptable to practice.
  4. It conserves water resources and raises self-sufficiency quotient.
  5. To landscape plants and gardens, rainwater is apt.
  6. It cau cut down non-point source pollution and stormwater runoff.