Analysis of the feasibility of the use of rainwater: A case study for standard school infrastructures

Abstract

With the growth in water demand worldwide, cities are experiencing increasing difficulties to guarantee the public supply of drinking water. Therefore, the search for alternatives that replace the available sources needs to be disseminated. An alternative to reduce the demand for drinking water is to use the Rainwater harvesting system. This work analyzes the feasibility of implementing a system for capturing, storing, and distributing rainwater for non-drinking purposes in three standard projects of the National Fund for the Development of Education in three locations in the state of Pernambuco: Recife, Caruaru, and Petrolina. To achieve this objective, local rainfall data, the catchment area used and the demand for non-drinking water in the building were analyzed. Then, sizing calculations of the storage reservoir were performed by different methods. The time for return on investment was considered satisfactory for all types located in Recife and for the 1-room type in Caruaru and Petrolina, considering the benefit from the system in the long term. Therefore, the typologies of 6 and 12 rooms in Caruaru and Petrolina were excluded since they had a return time of more than 24 years. The advantages are not only financial, but also environmental, cultural, and educational.