Rain has a wide range of impacts: it is the harbinger of prosperity for farmers, can cause havoc for people living in flood prone areas, aids in replenishing ground water levels and water reservoirs, or simply helps lower the temperature on a hot summer day. For urban dwellers, rain’s significance is generally limited to determining… [Read More]
Cape Town Water Crisis
Cape Town, the capital city of South Africa, is fast approaching Day Zero. This will be the day when city authorities will turn off the piped water supply, which caters to Cape Town’s four million residents. Once this happens, residents must collect a legally guaranteed 25 liters per person per day from the approximate 200… [Read More]
Siphon Roof Drainage System
Siphon roof drainage systems serve as an alternative to conventional gravity based roof drainage systems. They work on the principle of suction or siphoning – similar to liquid rising when sucking on a straw. System principles and how it differs from a conventional gravity based system Siphon drainage systems were first developed in Europe in… [Read More]
Water Conservation at Work: A Look at Four Countries/ Regions
The world’s nations and populations are not equal – in terms of available resources, economic activity, human development, social and cultural rights, skin color of the populace… the list is endless. Water as a resource is also not available in equal measure. For instance, someone in Africa may be getting by with 47 liters of… [Read More]
Lawns, Law, and Sustainability
Lawns are considered a luxury in India, but they are an inherent part of a house’s open area in the United States. This open land and the house that sits on it may be owned by the homeowner, but there are still many regulations governing what can and cannot be grown in a home garden… [Read More]
Feeling the Pressure… Water Pressure That Is
Are the water lines in your home gravity fed (i.e. connected to an overhead water tank without any pressure pumps)? If so, note the velocity and the amount of water gushing out of the taps when the tank is full. Then take note once more when the tank is nearly depleted. You will notice there… [Read More]