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When 1 inch of rain falls on a 1000 square foot surface, you can collect 600 gallons of water.


 
 

A Rain Catchment System consist of the following sub-systems:

  • catchment area (roof, road, hillside)

  • conveyance system (guttering, downspouts, piping)

  • prefiltration

  • storage (cistern)

  • distribution (pumps or gravity flow)

  • treatment (slow sand filtration, UV, ect.)


Save the Rain takes much into consideration when building our storage systems. Tanks can be made from a variety of materials in a variety of ways. We make our tanks from Burnt Brick or Blocks, Ferrocement both above ground or below, Concrete in Formwork and sometimes the project calls for purchasing a Polyethylene tank.
Conveyance is required to move the water from the collection surface to the storage tank. If gutters cannot be purchased then they can be made on site using readily available material. Gutters can be easily be constructed by cutting galvanized iron sheets and bending them into a v shape.

To find out more about Treatment, please visit the How we Clean the water page.
Rain Catchment is a viable solution for any area facing water shortage. Rain Catchment Systems require no electricity and are fairly simple to trouble shoot. They can be installed in the most rural areas and can be made from the most primitive materials. A Rain Catchment System can be as simple as a small swail to stop water flooding off a slope or as integrated as a system that catches rain to supply a structure with water for drinking, sanitation or agriculture. One thing is certain, Saving the Rain can put an end to the water crisis.

"God must think we're crazy. We let the rain fall off our roofs onto our soil. It washes the soil away and flows to the bottom of the hill. We then climb down the hill and carry it back up to drink."

Ugandan project worker

12 000 gallon tank Namballa, Tanzania

12 000 gallon Rain Catchment Tank in Namballa, Tanzania. Made from Burnt Brick

what your money buys