It is becoming more popular for people to use domestic water tanks to store water.
Is this something that is a luxury or is it becoming a requirement with the severe instability in municipal water supply and the erratic climate conditions we are facing? According to UNDESA, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, water scarcity affects 700 million people in 43 different countries worldwide, and by 2025, just 11 years from now, an estimated 1.8 billion people will be severely affected by the scarce availability of water.
This water crisis will affect Sub Saharan Africa more than anywhere else in the world due to the arid, and unpredictable climate. With these kinds of statistics, one would question the importance of watering a garden or setting up a sprinkler system, when so much of Africa does not even have access to safe drinking water.
Rainwater for Domestic Use
According to Water Wise, 11.5 % of the water in South Africa is used domestically, and if the house has a garden, up to 46% of that water supplied domestically is used to water the garden.
The quality of the water supplied is diminishing with the proliferating population, diminishing river catchments, the urbanisation of an ever-increasing population resulting in deforestation, and water pollution caused by mining, agriculture and the production industry. With so many risk-factors affecting the water available for domestic use, harvesting rainwater in domestic water tanks seems to be an obvious solution. Rain water is free from pollutants and contaminants, and can be used to provide at least 50% of water usage in the home.
The Increasing Price of Water
With the price increase of water alone, storing rainwater in domestic water tanks is an immediate alleviator of the cost. In China, the cost of water is increasing as a penalty to encourage top-end water consumers to cut down their water consumption. The system will be out into place in 2015. The top 5% of water users in the country will pay up to 3 times the regular price of water. The second highest water consumers will pay 1.5 times the regular rate. How long until Africa adopts similar strategies to curb the waste of water?
The Convenience of Domestic Water Tanks
Domestic water tanks, made of zincalume steel, are durable and don’t require any maintenance. These water tanks can be specifically tailored to suit the needs of any home and they can be tailored to suit different sizes, uses and budgets. They don’t have to be unsightly as they are available in many different colours which can easily be adapted to suit your home.
The domestic water tanks supplied by Rainbow Tanks are designed for shallow depths so the quick installation doesn’t require heavy machinery. Rainwater is free and only needs to be collected in order to use it. With the increasing scarcity in water, this is an obvious solution to the problem especially in the developing countries, affected more severely by water shortages. Get your water tanks from Rainbow Reservoirs.
