During the 1960s~1970s, neighborhood children were playing in the streets, never too concerned about finding water. There was never any shortage – mountain valleys, wells and pumps were always accessible. Besides, every time it rained, they could simply look up at the sky, open their mouths and catch the rainwater! But what do children today do when it rains? They run inside, thinking of their parents’ warnings, “Don’t stay out in the rain! Rainwater is filled with pollutants … it might make you turn bald!” Well, why don’t we picture something else? Think of a family picnic in the park. Groups of people sitting on the grass, having lunch with their bottles of water. As bottled water goes through a ‘purifying process’, people assume it is the safest form of drinking water. But what if I ask them to drink rainwater? Whilst they might think it a strange idea, there is evidence to show that the bottled water they are drinking actually started life as rainwater.
The bottled water that we consider to be the purest form of water actually comes from rainwater. In fact, this does not just apply to rainwater; all water, including water from taps, valleys and rivers stems from rainwater.
Rainfall is important for a number of reasons. It brings down the pollution from the air. More rain means healthier vegetation – more oxygen produced, more plants and vegetables are watered naturally, more water to be used for animals as well as plants The food chain will also become healthierHealthier food chain – rain > plants grow > animals eat plants > animals eat animals > humans eat animals.
Precipitation, especially rain, has a dramatic effect on agriculture. All plants need at least some water to survive, therefore rain (being the most effective means of watering) is important to agriculture. While a regular rain pattern is usually vital to healthy plants, too much or too little rainfall can be harmful, even devastating to crops.
Mains water is a precious resource due to increases in demand from our ever growing population. Changes in rainfall patterns in the UK have seen both drought conditions and flooding.
Rainwater harvesting can provide around 50 per cent of a family’s water needs. This not only saves water, but saves money and reduces our impact on the environment.
Water Cycle Rainwater is an important part of how water cycles itself on Earth. Water from oceans travels around and is evaporated into the atmosphere. After enough water is stored in the sky, it eventually comes back down to Earth as rain, feeding plants, animals and people. Water Conservation According to the United Nations Environment Programme, many countries suffering from water shortage benefit from rainwater harvesting projects. Rainwater is harvested to provide people with water for drinking and agricultural uses.
Fresh Water Rainwater provides an environment with fresh water. Rain is necessary to keep water moving around, replenishing lakes, rivers and oceans and moving nutrients along via runoff. Rain becomes part of groundwater that keeps ecosystems in check.
A Precious Resource It is highly likely that there will come a point where mains water supply will no longer be able to meet the needs of our growing population. This almost inevitable situation will have an environmental and financial impact on the infrastructure used by the water companies, which will be passed on to their customers. This is why more and more people are capturing their own rainwater – to make sure they have enough for their needs at a price they can afford and at the same time minimise their impact on the environment. When combined with other
sustainable technologies, rainwater harvesting systems can help secure planning permission and in some areas of the UK – where the mains water simply cannot support increased demand - it could be a necessity. Harvesting rainwater has become a serious consideration for all new build or refurbishment projects. Architects and builders understand the importance of specifying rainwater harvesting systems to make houses more sustainable and to reduce the cost of running a home.
If you’re motivated to save a little water and re-distribute it on your lawns or plants or even use it for laundry, dishes or other interior needs — collecting rainwater from your gutters’ downspouts is a no-brainer.
The lack of minerals in rainwater actually makes it more effective than tap water for shampooing or doing dishes.
Using rainwater for plumbing uses can also extend the life of pipes and water heaters, since the salts added to tap water faciitate corrosion..
Beyond the benefits to individual homeowners, rainwater harvesting can also be good for the local community, as it reduces the erosion, flooding and pollution runoff associated with heavy rainfall, and lessens reliance on public water supplies, alleviating some of the burden on utilities.
Extended periods of time without rain, or droughts, can have very serious, detrimental effects. It can cause widespread hunger and famine due to the inability to grow crops. Thirst is a major issue as people and many other living organisms can only survive days without water.
Without water, hygiene and sanitation becomes more difficult to maintain and disease can spread. Wildfires become more prevalent as flora dries up. Social conflict and war can result as people fight for limited water resources, and migration and relocation can happen in major waves as populations abandon arid regions.
If there was no rain there would be loads of droughts. The animals and creatures would have nothing to eat or drink as the grass and plants need water to live so the animals would die, giving us nothing to eat. Eventually our species and all animals would become extinct.