EDITORIAL
Rainwater harvesting is fast becoming a viable alternative for supplying households and businesses with water. Catching rain water and using it to assist in our daily lives, it is also a means of removing total dependency for water, from the Barbados Water Authority (BWA).
Across the Caribbean, rainwater harvesting has been in use for many years. Indeed, there are some advantages and disadvantages to the practice, but in essence, the harvested water can be used to reduce dependence on a domestic supply, and this is key given that it is predicted that we may be experiencing periods of drought in 2019 and based on what we have seen in the past, with mainly northern parishes being affected by water outages.
In terms of the advantages, the collection of rain water can take a huge burden off the BWA and it is an excellent back up source in times of drought, low water pressure and when there are problems with the public supply and especially during disasters. If rain harvesting is put in practice, schools and businesses would not need to close when the BWA cannot supply water to some areas and life can continue without much interruption. The fact that you own your “water” gives you control over how you use it. It is simple to construct and easy to maintain with little cost and your rain water harvesting system can be designed according to what you can afford or want. Some persons might start with one plastic tank while others might build a more elaborate system. Rainwater is better for landscape plants and gardens, because it is not chlorinated and it can solve drainage problems on your property. There are however some disadvantages to rain harvesting. Rain from the roof tops may be subjected to contamination by leaves, bird droppings and other pollutants that can enter the water. When there is little or no rainfall, water levels would drop significantly and to avoid this householders would need to own a large enough system that can reserve enough water that can last for weeks and this might be costly. However, it is believed the advantages by far outstrip the disadvantages.
So just how you can use rain water? Rainwater can really be used anywhere you use tap water and even for cooking and drinking as long as it is treated. However, without any treatment thousands of gallons of water can be saved and used as follows: flushing of toilets, laundry, in the garden and for watering the lawns, for irrigation systems for agricultural purposes, for washing vehicles, for bathing pets, to refill your fountains, fish ponds and aquariums, for washing your driveways and sidewalks and you can even use it for industrial processes instead of treated water.
It is critical that we explore this area, even in our efforts to “go green”. The BWA has been pushing a Personal Tank Programme in the past to encourage householders to purchase a water tank for their home, at an affordable price. Perhaps we need to see some local businesses working with householders as well, to ensure that most homes can have access to affordable tanks as well. Failing this however, homeowners and householders can obtain a few barrels and channel the water from their rooftops and after collection, they can use this harvested water to wash their cars or water their plants or even flush their toilets. This will certainly lead to a reduction in their water bills and their pockets will thank them for it. We will also ensure that there is more water to go around and with most of the population on board, we will have a more sustainable Barbados.