:: Specific Design Brief

Practical Action 4: Rainwater Harvesting

PRODUCT DESIGN SRI LANKA, KENYA

GENERIC DESIGN CONTEXT
Ensuring an adequate water supply for domestic and agricultural use is a problem in many parts of the world. However, there are opportunities for harvesting rainwater when rains do come. Investigate possible methods of harvesting water, and design and make a method for filtering or storing water suitable for your chosen context.

SPECIFIC DESIGN BRIEF
In Sri Lanka rainy seasons are becoming less predictable. Therefore capitalising on rainwater when it does fall is increasingly important. Investigate different methods of collecting or filtering rainwater and design and make a filtration or collection system suitable for the dry areas of Sri Lanka.

CLIENT DETAILS
Practical Action has offices in Colombo, Sri Lanka and works with other organisations there to help people to help themselves. Practical Action’s headquarters are in the UK and the Education unit there is your first point of contact. They will be able to provide answers to many of your questions about rainwater harvesting. Contact the team by email [email protected] or by phone 01926-634441. If they cannot answer your queries, they will contact Practical Action in Sri Lanka or, if necessary, rainwater harvesters themselves.

SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES
• Rainwater harvesting can play a vital role in the ability of a community to sustain itself economically, especially where the rainwater is used for agricultural purposes.
• Resources are scarce in Sri Lanka, especially outside Colombo. Designing and making that enables recycling or reuse of materials is therefore advantageous.

FURTHER INFORMATION
USEFUL INFORMATION

If you decide to work on this design brief, don't forget to consider the issues of sustainability in the different phases of your designing and making.
Click here to access Sustain-a-balls