Competition project for the development of rainwater harvesting equipment in Rwanda

Rwanda, 2009

 

Rwanda is an agricultural country, over 90% of its population is employed in consumer agriculture. About 44% of the country's territory is suitable for agriculture, 44% for grazing and 12% is occupied by forests. The country's climate is subequatorial, seasonally humid. The average annual rainfall varies from 900–1000 mm in the eastern regions to 1000–1500 mm in the western regions, and up to 2000 mm on the slopes of the Virunga Mountains. There are two wet seasons - from March to May and from November to December. The dry season lasts from June to August-September.

 

In order to survive this dry season, residents collect rainwater in tanks. They do this mainly due to runoff from the roofs. But this is not enough. On average, a person consumes at least 3 liters of water per day. The idea of the "flower" project is to collect rainwater in large volumes. During the monsoon rains, water accumulates in special tanks made of environmentally friendly rubber, having previously been filtered.

 

The design of such a flower is simple: rainwater is caught by the open “petals” and directed towards the central axis. Through the holes and the built-in filter, through which insects and sand cannot penetrate, the water enters the central rod, and from there into the rubber tank. As it fills up, the tank becomes heavy, swells and lifts the water-collecting petals with its own weight.

 

Thus, when the tank is full, the flower closes. The main condition for storing water is preserved - the inaccessibility of sunlight so that the water cannot deteriorate. There is a tap at the bottom of the “stem”. It is not necessary to store water in such tanks for a long time. Their main goal is to accumulate a large amount of water during the rainy season. After that, the water can be transported to other tanks in hospitals, private houses, for agriculture, etc.