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With the rising population, the one resource the world desperately needs is plenty of water. There is a high demand for residential water which is used for cooking, cleaning and irrigation purposes. Besides household purposes, gallons of water are required in industries. Water conservation is the need of the hour. Fortunately for humankind, rain water is one of the consistently available natural resource. Every year, there is abundant supply of rain water, which if harvested can meet many of our needs.
Water conservation can be done easily by harvesting rain water as it is an effective way of cutting down the usage of water for household purposes and overcoming the problem of water shortage. One of the techniques of rain water harvesting is by usage of rain barrels. A rain barrel is a water tank which is used to collect and store rain water, typically from rooftops through rain gutters. Rain barrels are installed to make good use of naturally available rain water for future use. This method is not only economical but also helps preserve natural resources. In places where there is acute shortage of water, rain water harvesting aids self-sufficiency. Rain water harvesting can be done on a small scale as well as a large scale. Small scale rain harvesting is normally done in households wherein the rain barrels are placed strategically around the house and can be used for watering gardens, agriculture, flushing toilets, in washing machines, washing cars, and also for drinking, especially when other water supplies are expensive, unavailable, or of poor quality.
Rain barrels come in different forms such as portable rain barrel, the rain catcher rain barrel, flat back rain barrel, wood grain rain barrel, flora rain barrel, etc. Portable rain barrels serve multiple purposes and come in varying sizes. Besides fulfilling the basic function of collecting rain water, these rain barrels can be easily pushed across and moved from one spot to another. Another most used rain barrel is the rain catcher. These two models are truly convenient and useful to be used in any household. This is very important that these barrels are engineered to screen out breeding of mosquitoes due to improper filtering systems. Therefore, along with these models, there are certain rain barrel accessories such as diverter kits, mosquito donuts and even pH meters that are available in the markets which will ensure the cleanliness pf the harvested rain water.
If one is living in the country, main rain barrels can be installed at various places to collect rainwater and in a city, water collected from the roof can be used to water the plants and the lawn as well as reduce water bills. Apart from the monetary benefits, you will also be helping maintain the municipal water grid and hence help the environment. When you harvest the rain water you are not just saving water you are also reducing the amount of chemicals that run into the water bodies. When rainwater runs on the ground, it collects harmful chemicals like agricultural pesticides, herbicides, petro- chemicals like oil and gasoline, pollution, etc. This water then runs in the gutters and joins the rivers and lakes hence polluting them. When we harvest the rain water, we reduce the quantity of running water to some extent hence protecting the environment and erosion.
The rain water that gets into the water treatment plant is treated with chlorine and other chemicals before it is sent back to us. Therefore by using the rain barrel, we consume pure water, free of chemicals and we also reduce the work done on the water hence conserving energy. Healthy vegetables can be grown with this water. So your savings will not just be because of the reduced water bill.
Plastic, food grade rain barrels are the ones you should choose. The barrels that were used to hold chemicals or wax should be avoided as the chemicals found in the residue may harm the plants and the environment.
Some simple tips can be followed to make the best of the rain barrel.
An estimate was done and it was reported that 1 inch of rain on a 1000 sq. ft. roof would yield 623 gallons of water. Imagine the amount of water you could collect over a rainy season.