Water is a very essential commodity for human existence, it may even be considered as the most essential. We need water to survive, that is a basic truth that cannot be over-emphasized. There is a tremendous amount of water available on the surface of the earth; but water is less about its availability than it is about its usability. The oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds and all the other water bodies provide sources of water for human consumption, but they are all not readily available or suitable to be used to satisfy our general needs. In some areas, their case is that they don't have adequate access to any of these water bodies, while in other areas it is that they don't have adequate systems to process the water gotten from these sources to suitable forms fit for drinking and doing other basic things.
There is however one general source of water that is available to everyone- rainwater. Rain falls from the sky at various times and at various places. It naturally provides us with water to meet our basic water needs. However, this rainwater doesn't fall all the time so it is important that adequate rainwater storage systems be put in place to ensure that the water is available even when the rain is absent.
Rainwater is generally gathered from the roofs of buildings. There are various systems for collecting this water but often, there is a storage tank somewhere beneath or around the building, with pipes or gutters connected to this tank. The rainwater flows from the roof through the pipes and all the way to the storage tank. (more...)
