IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pwat00/0000045.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Google Earth-GIS based approach to examine the potential of the current rainwater harvesting practices to meet water demands in Mityana district, Uganda

Author

Listed:
  • Jamiat Nanteza
  • Brian Thomas
  • Jesse Kisembe
  • Rhoda Nakabugo
  • Paul Isolo Mukwaya
  • Mathew Rodell

Abstract

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) has become an integral part of global efforts to improve water access. Despite the increasing adoption of RWH in Uganda, there remains a significant knowledge gap in the assessment of RWH systems to meet water demands. In this study, a simplified methodology to estimate rainwater harvesting potential (RWHP) as a function of mean seasonal rainfall and rooftop area, generated using Google Earth and GIS tools is applied. Desired tank storage (DTS) capacities based on user population, demand and dry period lengths, were compared with RWHP to assess whether rooftop areas and tank storage can sustainably supply water for use during the March—May (MAM) and September-November (SON) 90-day dry periods, for three demand levels (i.e. for drinking and cooking (15 litres per capita per day (l/c/d)); for drinking, cooking and hand washing (20 l/c/d); and for drinking, cooking, hand washing, bathing and laundry (50 l/c/d)). Our findings document minimum catchment areas of 60m2 to have rainwater harvesting potential that can sustain households for 90-day dry periods for all three demand levels. However, considering their storage capacities, 25%, 48% and 97% of the existing RWHTs (with storage capacities below 8,000, 10,000 and 20,000 litres respectively) are unable to meet the demand of 15 l/c/d, 20 l/c/d and 50 l/c/d respectively for a 90-day dry period. The results document that the existing storage systems are under-sized for estimated water use under 50 l/c/d demand scenarios. Costs of between 2,000,000–4,500,000 Ugandan shillings (~ 600–1, 250 USD) would be needed to increase existing tank capacities to meet the 50 l/c/d demands for a 90-day dry period. These findings document onerous financial costs to achieve rainwater harvesting potential, meaning that households in Mityana district may have to resort to other sources of water during times of shortage.

Suggested Citation

  • Jamiat Nanteza & Brian Thomas & Jesse Kisembe & Rhoda Nakabugo & Paul Isolo Mukwaya & Mathew Rodell, 2022. "A Google Earth-GIS based approach to examine the potential of the current rainwater harvesting practices to meet water demands in Mityana district, Uganda," PLOS Water, Public Library of Science, vol. 1(11), pages 1-18, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pwat00:0000045
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pwat.0000045
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/water/article?id=10.1371/journal.pwat.0000045
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/water/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pwat.0000045&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pwat.0000045?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kuldeep Tiwari & Rohit Goyal & Archana Sarkar, 2018. "GIS-based Methodology for Identification of Suitable Locations for Rainwater Harvesting Structures," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 32(5), pages 1811-1825, March.
    2. Olanike Aladenola & Omotayo Adeboye, 2010. "Assessing the Potential for Rainwater Harvesting," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 24(10), pages 2129-2137, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sara Lucía Jiménez Ariza & José Alejandro Martínez & Andrés Felipe Muñoz & Juan Pablo Quijano & Juan Pablo Rodríguez & Luis Alejandro Camacho & Mario Díaz-Granados, 2019. "A Multicriteria Planning Framework to Locate and Select Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) in Consolidated Urban Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-33, April.
    2. Imteaz, Monzur Alam & Paudel, Upendra & Ahsan, Amimul & Santos, Cristina, 2015. "Climatic and spatial variability of potential rainwater savings for a large coastal city," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 105(PA), pages 143-147.
    3. Sadiq Ullah & Mudassar Iqbal & Muhammad Waseem & Adnan Abbas & Muhammad Masood & Ghulam Nabi & Muhammad Atiq Ur Rehman Tariq & Muhammad Sadam, 2024. "Potential Sites for Rainwater Harvesting Focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals Using Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-23, October.
    4. Wang, Wendi & Straffelini, Eugenio & Tarolli, Paolo, 2023. "Steep-slope viticulture: The effectiveness of micro-water storage in improving the resilience to weather extremes," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 286(C).
    5. Q. Tan & G. Huang & Y. Cai, 2013. "Multi-Source Multi-Sector Sustainable Water Supply Under Multiple Uncertainties: An Inexact Fuzzy-Stochastic Quadratic Programming Approach," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 27(2), pages 451-473, January.
    6. Kwangsik Jung & Taeseop Lee & Byeong Choi & Seungkwan Hong, 2015. "Rainwater Harvesting System for Contiunous Water Supply to the Regions with High Seasonal Rainfall Variations," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 29(3), pages 961-972, February.
    7. Enedir Ghisi & Pedro Schondermark, 2013. "Investment Feasibility Analysis of Rainwater Use in Residences," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 27(7), pages 2555-2576, May.
    8. Lúcio Proença & Enedir Ghisi, 2013. "Assessment of Potable Water Savings in Office Buildings Considering Embodied Energy," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 27(2), pages 581-599, January.
    9. Gabriel Yoshino & Lindemberg Fernandes & Júnior Ishihara & Adnilson Silva, 2014. "Use of rainwater for non-potable purposes in the Amazon," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 431-442, April.
    10. Campisano, Alberto & Modica, Carlo, 2012. "Optimal sizing of storage tanks for domestic rainwater harvesting in Sicily," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 9-16.
    11. Dagnachew Adugna & Marina Bergen Jensen & Brook Lemma & Geremew Sahilu Gebrie, 2018. "Assessing the Potential for Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting from Large Public Institutions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-11, February.
    12. Monzur Alam Imteaz & Vassiliki Boulomytis, 2022. "Improvement of Rainwater Harvesting Analysis Through an Hourly Timestep Model in Comparison with a Daily Timestep Model," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 36(8), pages 2611-2622, June.
    13. Chen Shiguang & Zeng Haoxin & Sun Hongwei & Liu Song & Yang Yongmin, 2024. "How to determine the cistern volume of rainwater harvesting system: an analytical solution based on roof areas and water demands," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(8), pages 20413-20438, August.
    14. Chitra Shukla & Debaditya Gupta & Balbir Kumar Pandey & S. R. Bhakar, 2024. "Suitability assessment of different cladding materials for growing bell pepper under protected cultivation structures using multi-criteria decision-making technique," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(2), pages 3713-3733, February.
    15. Shiguang Chen & Hongwei Sun & Qiuli Chen & Song Liu & Xuebin Chen, 2023. "An Innovative Approach to Predicting the Financial Prospects of a Rainwater Harvesting System," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 37(8), pages 3169-3185, June.
    16. Gu, Yu & Dai, Jun & Vasarhelyi, Miklos A., 2023. "Audit 4.0-based ESG assurance: An example of using satellite images on GHG emissions," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    17. P. Londra & A. Theocharis & E. Baltas & V. Tsihrintzis, 2015. "Optimal Sizing of Rainwater Harvesting Tanks for Domestic Use in Greece," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 29(12), pages 4357-4377, September.
    18. Carvalho, Isabella de Castro & Calijuri, Maria Lúcia & Assemany, Paula Peixoto & Silva, Marcos Dornelas Freitas Machado e & Moreira Neto, Ronan Fernandes & Santiago, Aníbal da Fonseca & de Souza, Maur, 2013. "Sustainable airport environments: A review of water conservation practices in airports," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 27-36.
    19. Ali Reza Noori & S.K. Singh, 2023. "Rainfall Assessment and Water Harvesting Potential in an Urban area for Artificial Groundwater Recharge with Land Use and Land Cover Approach," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 37(13), pages 5215-5234, October.
    20. Ahsen Maqsoom & Bilal Aslam & Sharjeel Ismail & Muhammad Jamaluddin Thaheem & Fahim Ullah & Hafiz Zahoor & Muhammad Ali Musarat & Nikolai Ivanovich Vatin, 2021. "Assessing Rainwater Harvesting Potential in Urban Areas: A Building Information Modelling (BIM) Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-21, November.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pwat00:0000045. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: water (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/water .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.