Rainwater harvesting: a lifeline to human well-being (policy brief)

Rainfall and soil water are fundamental parts of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The availability and quality of water determines ecosystem productivity, both for agricultural and natural systems. There is increasing demand on water resources for development whilst maintaining healthy ecosystems, which put water resources under pressure. Ecosystem services suffer when rain and soil water becomes scarce due to changes from wet to dry seasons, or during within-seasonal droughts. Climate change, demand for development and environmental degradation add to these pressures so that future challenges to sustain our ecosystems are escalating.

Rainwater harvesting provides opportunities to support development and human well-being without undermining ecosystem services. Rainwater harvesting can involve a wide variety of interventions to use rainfall through collection and storage, either in soil or in man-made dams, tanks or containers, to bridge dry spells and droughts. The effect is increased retention of water in the landscape, enabling management and use of water for multiple purposes.Ecosystem services are fundamental for human well-being, and are the basis of rural livelihoods, in particular for the poor.

Rainwater harvesting has been shown to create synergies in landscape management and human well-being. These synergies are particularly obvious when rainwater harvesting improves rainfed agriculture, is applied in watershed management, and when rainwater harvesting interventions address household water supply in urban and rural areas. Rainfall should be considered as an important manageable resource in water management policies, strategies and plans.

Download the policy brief (PDF, 335 kb)