Handbook of Water Harvesting and Conservation

19Treatment Techniques in Water Harvesting

Brandon Reyneke¹, Monique Waso¹, Thando Ndlovu¹, Tanya Clements¹, Sehaam Khan², and Wesaal Khan¹

¹Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa

²Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein, South Africa

19.1 Introduction

Water scarcity is a growing concern worldwide and is directly impacted by the contamination and misappropriation of available water sources, a lack of adequate water supply infrastructure, an increase in population size, and climate change (Zavala et al. 2018). Globally, numerous countries are utilizing alternative water sources to compensate for the depletion of renewable freshwater, and roof-harvested rainwater (RHRW) has subsequently been implemented as a source of potable and non-potable water (Dobrowsky et al. 2014; Campisano et al. 2017).

Rainwater harvesting refers to the collection and storage of rainwater by roof-catchment systems, land surfaces, or other artificial catchments for domestic and agricultural uses (Li et al. 2010; Campisano et al. 2017). Despite the general perception that rainwater can be utilized for potable purposes, numerous studies have demonstrated that harvested rainwater is contaminated and does not comply with drinking water standards (World Health Organization [WHO] 2011; Dobrowsky et al. 2015a). Atmospheric deposition and the materials used to construct the roof-catchment system may contribute to the chemical ...