WATER HARVESTING
"Lack of water knows no international borders, so it is imperative that people around the world, like Irland, are working together to find conservation methods."
- Dr. Sara Ahmed, scholar and activist focusing on the political economics of water in India
Storing and utilizing moisture that has fallen from the sky is an ancient tradition gaining renewed respect in various locations around the globe, especially with global warming and drought. Collection systems dating back four thousand years have been found in the Negev desert. Rainwater harvesting entails the capture, diversion, and/or storage of rain for irrigation or personal uses such as cleaning, or a possible source of potable water. Utilizing harvested precipitation for an urban garden is a simple way to conserve, because it both absorbs roof runoff before entering the storm water system and doesn't tap into the municipal drinking water supply. Rainwater can be a good source of nutrition for plants, since it doesn't contain salts or other minerals found in the city system, which typically deter root growth. Moreover, a larger root base increases a plant's drought tolerance. Any household can collect water just by placing a large bucket or container under a gutter downspout.
See other harvesting projects under Receiving Rain on Prior Projects page.
See extensive writings on Water Harvesting Projects in Chapter Seven, Receiving Rain and Conserving Water in Irland's book, Water Library. Buy the book.
Irland is available for Water Harvesting commissions. Please Contact
Click each image to enlarge
Xeric Fragrance Garden Rainwater Harvesting Project, University of New Mexico
Overview. 64 international words for water
Drain
Student pointing to sign language word for water