Gibberd, Jeremy T2024-07-102024-07-102023-07Gibberd, J. 2023. School rainwater harvesting decision support tool. <i>The West Indian Journal of Engineering, 46(1).</i> http://hdl.handle.net/10204/137120511-5728http://hdl.handle.net/10204/13712Climate change has meant that many schools in hot and dry areas are increasingly experiencing water shortages. This can affect the health of students and teachers, disrupt education and in the worst case, lead to school closures. Rainwater harvesting can help address water shortages by providing a safe alternative source of water. However, there is limited guidance on how rainwater harvesting systems can be applied to schools resulting in schools not being aware of the potential of rainwater harvesting systems. There is a need, therefore, for a simple tool that can be used by schools to understand rainwater harvesting systems. This study aims to address this gap by developing and testing a simple modelling tool called the School Water and Rainwater Use Modeller (SWARUM). The tool is presented and applied to case study schools in water-scarce areas of Southern Africa and the findings are critically evaluated. The study finds that the modeller can be used to support decision-making about rainwater harvesting systems at schools and makes recommendations for the improvement of the tool.FulltextenRainwater harvestingSchoolsSchool Water and Rainwater Use ModellerArticleGibberd, J. (2023). School rainwater harvesting decision support tool. <i>The West Indian Journal of Engineering, 46(1)</i>, http://hdl.handle.net/10204/13712Gibberd, Jeremy "School rainwater harvesting decision support tool." <i>The West Indian Journal of Engineering, 46(1)</i> (2023) http://hdl.handle.net/10204/13712Gibberd J. School rainwater harvesting decision support tool. The West Indian Journal of Engineering, 46(1). 2023; http://hdl.handle.net/10204/13712.TY - Article AU - Gibberd, Jeremy AB - Climate change has meant that many schools in hot and dry areas are increasingly experiencing water shortages. This can affect the health of students and teachers, disrupt education and in the worst case, lead to school closures. Rainwater harvesting can help address water shortages by providing a safe alternative source of water. However, there is limited guidance on how rainwater harvesting systems can be applied to schools resulting in schools not being aware of the potential of rainwater harvesting systems. There is a need, therefore, for a simple tool that can be used by schools to understand rainwater harvesting systems. This study aims to address this gap by developing and testing a simple modelling tool called the School Water and Rainwater Use Modeller (SWARUM). The tool is presented and applied to case study schools in water-scarce areas of Southern Africa and the findings are critically evaluated. The study finds that the modeller can be used to support decision-making about rainwater harvesting systems at schools and makes recommendations for the improvement of the tool. DA - 2023-07 DB - ResearchSpace DP - CSIR J1 - The West Indian Journal of Engineering, 46(1) KW - Rainwater harvesting KW - Schools KW - School Water and Rainwater Use Modeller LK - https://researchspace.csir.co.za PY - 2023 SM - 0511-5728 T1 - School rainwater harvesting decision support tool TI - School rainwater harvesting decision support tool UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10204/13712 ER -27012