SEATTLE — The word “crisis” is frequently used to refer to the scarcity of water in Africa. The United Nations, specifically, considers the continent to be facing “a crisis of endemic poverty and pervasive underdevelopment.” Water can play a decisive role in improving the socio-economic outlook of Africa, particularly through the development of sustainable infrastructure. One of the methods that key organizations are looking to is rainwater harvesting (RHW) — the collection, storage, and use of rainwater. Two major players in the rainwater harvesting game are nonprofit organizations the Rainwater Harvesting Implementation Network (RAIN) foundation and The Water Project.

The RAIN foundation is dedicated entirely to RWH and the belief that “sufficient and safe water should be available to everyone.” Originally developed in 2003, RAIN works alone and with partners to fund, develop and manage projects while advising partner organizations on RWH best practice. RAIN focuses on small-scale RWH projects, increasing the capacity of local organizations, lobbying and promoting RWH policies, as well as sharing and exchanging knowledge focused on RWH.

The Water Project, in contrast to the RAIN foundation, funds projects focused on water in sub-Saharan Africa, many of which are RWH. The Water Project’s nine-year record includes projects in Kenya, Uganda and Sierra Leone. The Water Project also spends a significant amount of its resources on community engagement — educating and informing leaders on different types of water systems.

Some nonprofits work directly with commercial corporate entities to achieve set goals. The Amsha Africa Foundation, dedicated to enhancing the living standards in African slums and villages, uses storage systems from the commercial company Rainwater HOG to bring water collection and storage to rural communities. The HOG tanks are modularly designed to last two decades and have a water capacity of almost 52 gallons. One storage tank can save one woman approximately 30 hours of water transportation time over 10 days — freeing up her time for other activities like childcare, education or entrepreneurship.

Africa is not the only focus of rainwater harvesting progress. In 2011, the Times of India estimated that 35 percent of water in the city of Allahabad was wasted every day. Since then, rainwater collection systems have been proposed for use in schools, playgrounds, apartment buildings and other areas. As the demand for water in cities rises, governments and organizations are looking to rainwater harvesting.

In Bengaluru, AR Shivakumar, the principal investigator for rainwater harvesting at the Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology (KSCST), hasn’t paid for water in 20 years — his house depends entirely on rainwater, which is channeled from the roof into a 4,500 litre tank on the ground floor, diverted, then filtered through a system of percolation tanks. Shivakumar believes that within the next 25 years, Bengaluru can sustain itself entirely on water sources.

With organizations like the RAIN Foundation and The Water Project at the helm — and a little cloudy weather to help — the future of rainwater harvesting looks promising.

– Tammy Hineline

Photo: Flickr