Assessment of rain water harvesting potential – a case study For idamelanda

Abstract

This project assessed the water scarcity and the potential for rain water harvesting of a rural village vulnerable to severe droughts. Meteorological data was used to calculate the Weighted Average Standardized Precipitation (WASP) Index and Palmer’s Drought Severity Index (PDSI. This was then cross referenced with the drought relief data for the region. The lowest and highest correlation values between the two methods were 0.57 and 0.77 respectively. The feasibility of RWH for both domestic and agricultural activities was then studied and was found to be practical to collect the rainwater using the roof and the land surface as catchments.