THE FUTURE IS IN THE RAIN

Europe's water supply may seem limitless but the effects of population growth, urbanization, pollution, and climate change, such as persistent droughts, are putting enormous pressure on water resources and water quality. We need to stop and think at this point. In this modern world, which we have looked at from a single angle until today, it is time to see the other side of the coin.

Uncontrolled population growth is a big problem for water resources. For this reason, the need for water is increasing every day. Water consumption per person in the world is around 800 m3 on average per year. 1.4 billion people, which is about 20% of the world's population, do not have sufficient drinking water, and 2.3 billion people do not have access to healthy water. In addition, by 2050, the number of countries suffering from water shortages will rise to 54, and the number of people forced to live in bad conditions will rise to 3.76 billion. This will mean that 40% of the world's population, which is expected to be 9.4 billion in 2050, will suffer from water shortages. Every year, 2 million people, mostly children, die from intestinal infections caused by improper water use and poor hygienic conditions. Hepatitis A and malaria are serious health problems in many parts of our world. Also, chronic fluoride deficiency and many similar conditions become very serious problems. The continuation of life really depends on the availability of sufficient and highquality water.

Let's do some math now. If the water in the world was as big as an aquarium, the amount of fresh water available to humans would only be as much as the spoon you use to mix your coffee. In other words, the amount of fresh water is less than 1 percent of the total amount.

Clean water is not only used for drinking and bathing but there are billions of cubic meters of pure water used in plastic production, refrigeration systems, pharmaceutical production, vehicle batteries, irons, and many other areas every day. We use water at every point we can think of in our daily lives and we do not always do it consciously. We may not be able to prevent consumption but it doesn't mean that we can't make it renewable and to do so we can harvest rainwater.

Rainwater harvesting refers to the collection, storage, treatment, distribution, and use of rainwater. Findings in many parts of the world have shown that since prehistoric times, people have tried to meet the water needs required for domestic use, irrigation, and animal husbandry by collecting and storing rainwater. Throughout antiquity, rainwater has been the main source of water for its drinkable and non-drinkable use. Rainwater harvesting was practised by the people of the city of Ur in the Sumerian region about 4500 years ago, then by other people of the Middle East. Archaeological evidence in southern Jordan suggests the existence of water collection systems for agricultural purposes 9,000 years ago, while similar water collection systems in Israel's Negev desert date back about 4,000 years or more. The construction and use of cisterns to store rainwater can be traced back to the Neolithic Age. Cisterns are one of the main features of welldesigned cities and one of the methods of collecting rainwater. The increasing population in the Roman period and the increase in water requirements with the growth of settlement areas led to the development of structures where water was transported together with cisterns and the merging of the two systems.

Significant reform of Canadian law since the mid-2000s has increased the agricultural, industrial, and residential use of this technology. Tamil Nadu was the first state to mandate rainwater harvesting for every building to prevent groundwater depletion. The project was launched in 2001 and implemented in all rural areas of Tamil Nadu. In New Zealand, although there is plenty of rainfall in the West and South, rainwater harvesting for most of the country is a normal practice for most rural dwellings. In China, Argentina, and Brazil, harvesting rainwater from the roof is a method for replenishing water and groundwater levels for livestock and small irrigations.

Let's take a look at the places in the world that have been successful in rainwater harvesting.

Certainly, first, the industry needs to be sensitive about rainwater harvesting as companies use the largest amount of water and when building the buildings each enterprise should prepare a plan for collecting it. On the other hand, each of us can also implement a rainwater harvesting project at home. The roofs of our houses can be a good start for this harvest field but before installing your rain collection systems, you should calculate your water footprint. What you will see with the water footprint is not just the consumption of water, you will encounter the realities of all the water spent on the continuation of your life.

Remember that WATER is LIFE and the change starts with you.

Hamit Durak

Sources:

Wıkıpedıa: Yağmur suyu hasadı

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