Harvesting rainwater
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Water shortages plague most Chinese cities; even so, rainwater is inadequately harvested or not at all. Rainwater goes down the drain serving no useful purpose.
Recent rainstorms that affected a number of cities in South China have sparked debates on rainwater conservation efforts in urban areas.
One can take a leaf out of the German pavilion at the ongoing Shanghai Expo, which is showcasing Berlin's rainwater harvesting system which not only makes good use of rainwater but also keeps the city's waterways uncontaminated.
Chinese cities, for instance, received as much as 260 billion cubic meters of rain in 2004, according to latest available data. Properly conserved, this rainwater would help ease chronic water shortages in these cities. Yet, few cities adopt facilities to collect rainwater. Beijing's water management authorities say most of the rain the capital gets is unutilized, finding its way instead into the city's waterways.
True, funds needed for rainwater conservation, such as building tanks to collect and store rainwater, are by no means modest. Still, if the money can be rustled up, as the rainwater harvesting system in Berlin shows, it will go a long way in combating water scarcity. Moreover, expenditure on cleaning up urban waterways can be better utilized elsewhere.
Furthermore, if such a rainwater collection system is able to effectively prevent urban areas from being inundated during rainstorms, incalculable economic losses may be avoided.
Allowing more rainwater to seep into the ground and recharge underground aquifers is another way to beat the shortage. This is imperative for sustainable development.
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