School rainwater harvesting decision support tool

Abstract

Climate change has meant that many 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 guidance on how rainwater harvesting systems can be applied to schools resulting in schools not being aware of the potential of rainwater harvesting systems. There is a need, therefore, for a simple tool that can be used by schools to understand rainwater harvesting systems. This study aims to address this gap by developing and testing a simple modelling tool called the School Water and Rainwater Use Modeller (SWARUM). The tool is presented and applied to case study schools in water-scarce areas of Southern Africa and the findings are critically evaluated. The study finds that the modeller can be used to support decision-making about rainwater harvesting systems at schools and makes recommendations for the improvement of the tool.