Rainwater harvesting as a sustainable water supply option in Banda Aceh

In this case study, we investigate the applicability of rainwater harvesting as a sustainable water supply option in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, an area severely hit by the tsunami in 2004. Due to technical and geographical factors, the local residents spend approximately 16% of their incomes on the purchase of water. For this reason, a new, economical, and sustainable way of obtaining water is a most important and urgent concern. A team from Seoul National University recently developed and installed several rainwater harvesting systems in the area in January 2007 and 2008, focusing particularly on increasing public awareness of rainwater harvesting and capacity building in Banda Aceh. This paper discusses the general public perceptions, installation methods, and viability of the system. We found that rainwater harvesting, accompanied by an increase in public awareness and appropriate education, can best serve the needs of the community.

This paper describes the general status of water usage, public perceptions, and actual water quality of various water sources in Gano Village in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, and our efforts to disseminate rainwater harvesting there. Many of the residents there face high water costs and are looking for alternative methods of obtaining water that are more reliable and sustainable than the conventional water sources. Rainwater harvesting was proposed and studied as a new option for water supply in Aceh and its viability was explored from two perspectives: technical and social. From a technical perspective, the system is a very useful alternative in Banda Aceh for the following reasons: (1) the materials used can be obtained easily and cheaply in the area; (2) its design and installation is simple and replicable, using locally available technology; (3) maintenance is easy; (4) the expected volume of collected water is considerable; and (5) the introduction of a fabric tank reduced the unit cost significantly. Therefore, we can expect that the rainwater harvesting system will be widely adopted and used in the area, and will result in a significant reduction in the economic burden of purchasing water. However, when we investigated the viability of this system from a social perspective, we discovered some problems that need to be solved before we can attempt to disseminate the idea of rainwater harvesting in the area. We found that not many local people are aware of the benefits of utilizing rainwater and, as reflected in the results of the interviews, some of them even have a misunderstanding regarding the quality of rainwater. Therefore, increasing public awareness and offering relevant education should be attended to first in order to effectively expand the option of rainwater harvesting at a later time. This study confirms that rainwater harvesting, accompanied by proper education, can be a competitive option for a safe water supply in terms of costs, simplicity of installation and maintenance, and water quality.