Rainwater harvesting for domestic applications: The case of Asunción, Paraguay
Sebastián Ortiz, Paula de Barros Barreto, Marcelo Castier
Abstract
Cities in tropical and subtropical regions of developing countries often have precarious rain drainage networks and rainfalls may cause floods and torrents that pose risks to people and properties, as is the case of Asunción, in Paraguay. Minute-by-minute rainfall data measured in the city of Asunción are used as input to simulate domestic rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems. It is found that the payback period to install an RWH system in Asunción is large and unattractive for most domestic consumers because of the low cost of water from the public supplier. If water prices were similar to those of some large cities of neighboring countries, individual investments in domestic RWH systems would be more attractive in Asunción. However, as such systems can reduce the impact of heavy rainfalls in urban areas, municipalities with inadequate rainwater drainage should consider providing incentives for their installation.