Effective Rainwater Harvesting Schemes for Sub-Saharan West Africa

According to United Nations (UN) data, over one billion people lack access to domestic water supply and 2.4 billion people lack elementary sanitation. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that by the year 2020, the number of people without access to water services will increase from 300 million (in 2003) to 400 million. In addition, by 2030, more than 50% of the population on the African continent will live in urban areas thereby increasing the demand on already stressed water resources. This paper describes how rainfall harvesting could be implemented to improve the availability of water in certain parts of West Africa. The implementation of rainfall harvesting strategies could result in very effective and sustainable water supply alternatives in the regions considered. The methods described focus on the implementation of solutions particularly tailored for the region. While most rainfall harvesting schemes focus on domestic rainfall harvesting (DRH) and thus water supply alternatives for residential use, this paper additionally explores water supply alternatives that could serve small communities like schools and small business centers. A brief discussion of Living Machines (LMs) is provided to motivate the presentation of larger-scale integrated rainfall harvesting and water recycling methods. The function and the basic principles underlying the development of LMs are included. The goal is to examine adaptations of LMs in the development of larger scale water systems that include rainfall harvesting and water recycling.