Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
- Rainwater harvesting is integrated with the house, which makes the water easily accessible
- Rainwater harvesting is personal, which prevents arguments about who should take care of maintenance.
- Installation costs are low and the sustainability is larger than a pump.
- The required skills are available, which makes adaptation easy.
- The used materials can be kept simple, are obtainable nearly everywhere at local (low) cost price.
- The construction is easy and cheap in maintenance.
- The annual rainfall should be about 2000 mm/year and spread in at least two (long) rainperiods of three months without total drought in between.
- Cost per capita is slightly higher for a rainwater harvesting than for a communal pump or well.
- Some kind of organisation or back-up structure required to supply the users with repair materials.
