School water and rainwater use modeller

Abstract

With climate change, schools in hot and dry areas are increasingly experiencing water shortages. This can affect the health of students and teachers, disrupt education and in the worst case, lead to school closures. Rainwater harvesting can help address water shortages by providing a safe alternative source of water. However, there is limited research and guidance on how rainwater harvesting systems can be applied to schools. A lack of guidance and knowledge has meant that schools are not aware of the potential of rainwater harvesting systems and do not adopt these systems. There is a need, therefore, for a simple tool that can be used by schools to understand the potential of rainwater harvesting systems at schools. This study aims to address this gap by developing the School Water and Rainwater Use Modeller (SWARUM). The modeller is presented and applied to a case study school in a drought-stricken area of Southern Africa. The findings of the application and the modeller are critically evaluated. The study finds that the modeller can be used to show the potential of a rainwater harvesting system at schools and enables different scenarios to be modelled and understood. The study makes recommendations for the improvement of the modeller and its application.