1. Rainwater is good for you, it is extremely soft and only contains about 5 mg/l of dissolved solids compared to municipal water that contains about 400mg/l.
2. Rainwater does not contain any chlorine or sanitizing agent. All our systems use a process of Ultraviolet sterilization.
3. By having a rainwater capturing and storing system your household becomes independent from the municipal supply. Should there be a problem with the municipal supply your household can still function without the need to make use of tankers etc.
4. Using rainwater conserves water and saves you money.
5. Using rainwater preserves the environment by putting less pressure on current resources.
6. Rainwater has not undergone any chemical treatment, minimizing the risk and exposure to harmfully chemicals to your body.
7. Because rainwater is soft you will have no scale buildup in your electrical appliances like kettles and geysers.
8. Coastal cities and towns on the Kwa-Zulu Natal coast of South Africa can derive significant benefit from urban rainwater harvesting.
9. Rainwater harvesting benefits can be derived from three areas:
10. 1. Reduction in water consumption resulting in increased water availability during periods of drought.
2. Storm water attenuation and control, reducing flooding in low lying areas.
3. General water consumption reduction resulting in reduced capital expenditure to supply towns with water.
11. Background
12. The average coastal rainfall along the KZN coast range from 1000 to 1400mm per annually.
13. Most of the cities and town have experienced serious flooding during periods of continuous or intense rainfall especially in the lower lying areas. The rapid growth in urbanization and industrial development is largely to blame for this. Hard surface construction (roofing, paving, roads etc.) is the single biggest contributor to these problems. Rainwater attenuation systems and dams are generally undersized, household soak pits are non operational and in some township developments it is not even a requirement to have a soak pit
14. All the coastal towns rely on water that comes from inland catchment areas. Thus rainfall within the cities and towns has no significant impact on dam and reservoir levels that service the particular area with water. All the rainwater falling within the town borders simply run into the sea, without delivering any benefits to its residents. Any drought within the catchment area of the coastal town will result in the town facing serious water use restrictions. Costly capital expenditure projects are then needed to ensure these towns do not run out of water during periods of drought.