Raintanks:A Water strategy for Knysna

Knysna Heads

Green solution for Knysna

All our water supplies will dry up very soon,which makes rainwater harvesting essential. A strategy microcosm of rainwater harvesting has been used by Jeremy Westgarth –Taylor of Water Rhapsody for the area of Knysna. This area has no storage dam,and relies totally on the water flowing from a river weir. The supply of water from the weir can no longer meet demand. Jeremy’s strategy would be to force everyone to install rainwater tanks to harvest rainwater from roofs,ban outright any irrigation from any other source other than grey water,and minimize toilet flushing water. Because the area is mostly a holiday destination,the volume of stored water together with the reduction of water demand would mean that the town of Knysna would create a large dam of many individual tanks. The total volume of stored water could be as much as 70 million litres. This would mean that the need for municipal water would be needed for two or three weeks per year,at the end of each holiday season,if at all.
The strategy formula for Knysna is a microcosm of what is imperative for implementation throughout South Africa. The following is the typical use of water from rainwater storage tanks:
Most areas have seasonal rainfall. Very few have rain all year round. Water Rhapsody has devised a system whereby water stored in rainwater tanks is use during the rainy season. This applies to areas supplied with municipal water but not able to meet demand.