Rainwater Harvesting to Tackle Clean Water Crisis

Population growth and the development of the city have caused the City of Semarang to be vulnerable to not only floods but also drought. The intense built-up area in the city have caused the heavy water to run off that creates flooding during rainy season and reduced the capacity of ground water absorption that creates clean water scarcity during the dry season. In attempt solve this problem, the government started the project of small-scale rainwater harvesting in households and schools throughout the municipality. The government engages, educates, and encourages the citizen to participate in the project and communal rainwater harvesting station are built in public schools and neighbourhood sites. With rather simple technology and method, rainwater is collected, filtered, and distributed from water tanks as shown in the image. Periodically, the City of Semarang’s Environmental Agency expands the project from one neighbourhood to another to reach the objective of mitigating climate-related disaster of flood and drought.

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