Page 236 - Çevre Şehir ve İklim Dergisi İngilizce - Özel Sayı

Rainwater Harvesting Studies Across The World and Türkye

2001, resulting in the construction of over 5.5 million tanks for drinking water
and irrigation across China. Additionally, in 2009, the Taiwan Water Resources
Agency included water harvesting as an alternative source for domestic water
supply in the Taiwan Water Act.

2.4 Australia

Australia is considered one of the leading countries in rainwater harvesting
systems. According to a study conducted by Australian Bureau of Statistics
(ABS), about 1.7 million households own water tanks, which provide nearly 156
gallons of water, equivalent to 8% of annual household water use. This amount
means a saving 507 million Australian dollars in total. Rainwater harvesting
saves 274 billion liters of water annually (ABS, 2016).
In Australia, rainwater harvest and use are more common in rural areas.
Both in rural and urban areas, half of the rainwater harvesting systems are
connected to indoor use. It is observed that water harvest is practiced with
success across Australia.
In a study conducted by Burns et al. (2015), the installation rainwater
harvesting systems at the scale of twelve households were continuously
monitored, and a reduction in drinking water use by 10 % to 100 % was
reported. Likewise, field studies in Queensland implemented by Umapathi
et al. (2012) revealed that drinking water for various uses was saved by 31 %.
In Austria, beyond household use, water harvesting systems are utilized
for the irrigation of public gardens and sports fields. The prevalence of these
systems significantly increased, especially during the decade-long extreme
drought period in southeastern Australia in the 2000s (Campisano et al., 2017).

2.5 Europe

The application of water harvesting systems in Europe varies across countries.
Many countries in Western Europe utilize rainwater harvesting systems to
preserve their water sources. Rainwater has traditionally been harvested and
stored for household use in the United Kingdom. However, modern rainwater
harvesting systems have recently started to be used. Commercial-scale systems
are more common as they are financially more applicable compared to those
at household scale (Melville-Shreeve et al., 2016).
Germany is a leader in the widespread adoption of this technology for
domestic use. Thanks to subsidies and support from local governments, almost
three thirds of the newly-constructed buildings in Germany are equipped with
water harvesting systems (Schuetze, 2013). However, due to strict regulations
on serious industrial pollution and drinking water standards, domestic rainwater
sources are limited to non-potable uses like irrigation, toilet flushing and laundry.

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