Study to analyze the viability of rainwater catchment from roofs for its reuse in Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Date
2012
Authors
González, Ana Carolina, author
Sharvelle, Sybil, advisor
Roesner, Larry A., committee member
Goemans, Christopher, committee member
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Abstract
Water scarcity is a problem in many parts of the world. In some regions, there is physical water scarcity because there are not enough resources of water to supply the increasing demand, while other parts of the world have an economic scarcity, where resources are more abundant but poor governance and other problems render water unavailable for most of the population. Where the problem is economic water scarcity, there are many solutions that could ameliorate the problem, but most times the solutions require a change in government, more economic resources and a better willingness. Solving the problem requires long-term changes; however the need for water is immediate. This is why many methods have been developed for water storage and reuse, however because the problem is not a lack of water but poor management, implementing and maintaining systems is simply not a reality in many parts of the world, particularly in Africa and Latin America. Water supply systems in Honduras provide service to approximately 86% of the total population (WHO/ UNICEF 2010), however the service is not continuous, and the quality of the water supplied is not high enough to be considered potable. Simple mechanisms that address urgent problems have had to be used to supply citizens with water. Rainwater catchment or rainwater harvesting is one option worth analyzing for the capital city of Honduras, Tegucigalpa. Rainwater catchment systems are a simple solution that can be adopted in many parts of the country; many houses are already equipped with storage tanks and catching rainwater would require only a basic catchment system and make the most from the natural resources available. Stored rainwater can serve as a supplement to the city's supply system or as sole source of water for many growing areas that are not connected to the water supply network. Other alternatives include graywater reuse, well drilling and communal water storage tanks. For this study, household scale rainwater catchment systems were analyzed, where water can be channeled through pipes installed on each roof. The pipes transport water either to an underground or elevated tank, which many houses in Tegucigalpa already have. Water samples were collected from rooftops of different materials in three different locations and tested according to the Honduran regulation to analyze the quality of water. Precipitation data for Tegucigalpa was used to determine the amount of water that can be collected in order to compare this with the costs of implementing household scale rainwater catchment systems and determine whether it is a feasible solution for water scarcity in Tegucigalpa. In the end, all aspects were analyzed to determine whether this could be a solution worth implementing in Tegucigalpa to alleviate water scarcity problems as well as the possible positive and negative impacts it would have on the economy, society and the environment. Based on the analyses performed, it becomes clear that rainwater harvesting is not the one answer that will solve all water scarcity issues in Tegucigalpa. Storage tanks would need to be much larger, precipitation more abundant, roofs would have to have a bigger area and tanks be cheaper for it to be the sole source of water supply in the city. However, though maybe not ideal, it may be used as complementary to current public and private supply systems; it can reduce water bills and increase the supply in some areas of the city. It might be good investment for families that buy water from private companies and for homes where there already is a tank installed for water supply and storage.
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Subject
agua en Honduras
water scarcity in Honduras
water scarcity
rainwater harvesting
cosecha de aguas iluvias en Honduras