why is conserving water of great importance (rainwater harvesting)?

Answer 1

More often and in more places, societies are realizing that water is a finite resource, that is, that it will run out at some point, so care should be exercised in its use.

Some techniques of conserving water are rainwater harvesting, filtering of hitherto contaminated water sources, boiling water, evaporation and condensation techniques, using sheets of plastic, harvesting plants which store water.

An excellent example of a society which excels in water conservation is the Bedouin culture, the People of the Kalahari, and the fictitious society of Dune in Frank Herbert's books.

Answer 2

Why waste the precious water? Rainwater harvesting should be practiced so that countries which are drought prone can use that water to grow crops and vegetables.

Answer 3

Rainwater harvesting is the collection and storage of rain from roofs or from a surface catchment for future use. The water is generally stored in rainwater tanks or directed into mechanisms which recharge ground water. This is appropriate in many parts of the world, such as western Britain, China, Brazil, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Germany and India, where there is enough rain for collection and conventional water resources either do not exist or are at risk of being over-used to supply a large population. Rainwater harvesting can provide lifeline water for human consumption, reduce water bills and the need to build reservoirs which may require the use of valuable land.

Traditionally, rainwater harvesting has been practised in arid and semi-arid areas, and has provided drinking water, domestic water, water for livestock, water for small irrigation and a way to replenish ground water levels. This method may have been used extensively by the Indus Valley Civilization.

Currently in China and Brazil, rooftop rainwater harvesting is being practised for use for all the above purposes. Gansu province in China and semi-arid north east Brazil have the largest rooftop rainwater harvesting projects ongoing.

Rainwater harvesting in urban areas can have manifold reasons. To provide supplemental water for the city's requirement, to increase soil moisture levels for urban greenery, to increase the ground water table through artificial recharge, to mitigate urban flooding and to improve the quality of groundwater are some of the reasons why rainwater harvesting can be adopted in cities. In urban areas of the developed world, at a household level, harvested rainwater can be used for flushing toilets and washing laundry. Indeed in hard water areas it is superior to mains water for this. It can also be used for showering or bathing. It may require treatment prior to use for drinking.

Two residences in the city of Toronto, Canada, use treated harvested rainwater for drinking water, and reuse water (i.e. treated wastewater) for all other household water applications including toilet flushing, bathing, showers, laundry, and garden irrigation (Toronto Healthy House).

In New Zealand, many houses away from the larger towns and cities routinely rely on rainwater collected from roofs as the only source of water for all household activities. This is almost inevitably the case for many holiday homes.

Answer 4

well there are several reasons why its good to conserve water from rainwater because in very dry places its crucial to have water to live. Many scientist collect rainwater to test it to see the impacts of pollution and acid rain.

Answer 5

challenging subject. research on yahoo. this will help!

Answer 6

because it will run out?.....what i dont understand is why?the earth produces water and other substances constantly......its like a living organism....it never stops producing....ohhh....unless humans kill it?