FEASIBILITY OF RAINWATER HARVESTING IN SOLVING WATER CRISIS DHAKA CITY

Shafayet Ahmed, Nazmun Nahar

Abstract: This paper assesses the feasibility of rainwater harvesting as a solution to the existing water crisis in Dhaka City – a mega city with a population of 15 million. Groundwater is the main source of Dhaka’s water supply. To meet the increasing demand, the groundwater table is decreasing at an alarming rate. Dhaka needs to find out otherpotential sources of water. Rivers surrounded by the city would be a solution but due to high pollution, most of those rivers are now out of consideration. In this context, rainwater harvesting could be a potential source of water that will be able to meet a significant part of water demand of the Dhaka city residents. Also a high rainfall rate during the monsoon period is an important factor in this regard. In this study, a six storied high rise building with 80+ residents was investigated. Rainwater harvesting is considered only for the purpose of toilet flushing, washing cloths and house cleaning. In order to understand the social impat of rainwater harvesting, a resident survey was conducted. 88% of the residents agreed that rainwater harvesting wouldbe an acceptable solution of the present water crisis.

Keywords: Rainwater Harvesting, High Rise, Groundwater Table, Efficiency Factor.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15623/ijret.2015.0409020