Harvesting Rainwater in Your Backyard - Working with Nature
‘Water is life’ and harvesting rainwater in your backyard becomes a simple and user-friendly way of protecting this natural resource and saving our planet.
11/04/2021
Harvesting rainwater is an environmentally friendly buzzword and an eco-friendly solution to conserving and reusing one of nature’s most precious resources. It is highly unlikely that you have not been party to a conversation about rainwater harvesting, its benefits and your domestic options.
The fact that we can find ways to collect, store and re-use rainwater, in our gardens, is hugely empowering and a responsible motivation to looking after our planet and responding to the global water crisis, according to a property management team of Ridgewood Management.
Making the most of nature
The principle of collecting rainfall
is not a new concept, and ‘rooftop’ rainwater
harvesting is a simple and cost-effective
solution for every household, whether you are
living in the town or the country. Your roof
becomes the ‘catchment’ surface for
collecting the water and then directing it into
a water tank for storage and re-use.
Depending on the amount of air pollution in your
area, collecting rainwater before it touches
the ground and becomes polluted by silt and
other chemicals means it is relatively pure
and uncontaminated - safe for drinking as well
as for irrigation
purposes. The purity of the
water will obviously also depend on the water
collection container, and filtering or
boiling it will make it even safer for domestic
consumption.
That is why household water
storage systems are taking the world by storm
(excuse the pun), offering you an affordable
and user-friendly rainwater harvesting solution,
making it a simple way of partnering with nature
and being ‘water-wise.’ Why
wouldn’t you?
Coming in all shapes, sizes and colours, with accessories to maximise versatility, there is a solution to suit your functional needs and complement your outdoor aesthetic.
The benefits of rainwater harvesting
If you
are needing the motivation to invest in a water
storage system for your
backyard, the
following benefits might just persuade you:
- ●
A money saver: After the initial purchasing and
installation costs, there is no
denying that your monthly water bill will see a welcome reduction - especially
if you are no longer buying bottled water for drinking - yet another way of
saving our planet and reducing landfills - and if you intend on using the
harvested rainwater for garden irrigation purposes, topping up your pool and
washing your car. - ● A sanity saver: The reality of
municipal water outages, punitive municipal
water tariffs and water shortages makes a rainwater harvesting system a
no-brainer for households. - ● A planet saver: No matter where
you fall on the ‘Greenpeace’ scale, it just
makes sense to do our little bit from our corner of the world to conserve our
natural resources. A simple backyard rainwater harvesting system is a good
place to start. And on a larger scale, you will be helping with flood control with
less of your water leaving your property in the storm water drain and also
reducing soil erosion. - ● A community saver:
In many informal and under-resourced areas,
communities have no access to clean running water for their households.
Harvesting rainwater is a winning solution in safeguarding the wellness of
individuals in affected urban and rural contexts. This can be really effective in
a community context, using water collected on community structures, rather
than individual dwellings.
Water is life
Reducing our ecological
footprint and harvesting rainwater are small
steps to protecting a precious natural
resource and a solution in advancing water
security. And, as a viable supplementary
source, it ensures that all people can have
access to
clean running water which is a
basic human right. A commitment to reusing
rainwater has shown to have economic, social and
environmental benefits, and it can start in
your own backyard.
Visit STEP Building Supplies - www.stepbuildingsupplies.co.za - for all your rainwater harvesting requirements.