FEASIBILITY STUDY OF RAINWATER HARVESTING IN UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SABAH’S RESIDENTIAL COLLEGES IN SUPPORT OF THE ECO-CAMPUS INITIATIVE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51200/jbimpeagard.v1i1.3024Keywords:
Rainwater Harvesting, Eco-Campus, Rainfall, Water Savings, Roof CatchmentsAbstract
This study highlights the findings from a preliminary feasibility investigation in proposing
rainwater harvesting systems in Universiti Malaysia Sabah, in support of the Eco-Campus
initiative. Since its inception on 7th February 2013, the initiative strives to promote the blend of
campus development and ecological sustainability. Hence, in line with this aspiration, rooftop
rainwater harvesting (a form of green infrastructure) is introduced to selected residential
colleges in the campus and assessed for its potential in supplying untreated water for non
consumptive activity as well as in reducing the water bill. For the purpose of rainwater tank
design, the roof catchment area is needed to estimate the tank size, which then be multiplied
with the average annual rainwater yield from the nearest rainfall gauging station. The
percentage of water yield over rainwater demand is then calculated to estimate how much does
the harvested rainwater could cater the water demand of the consumers. The water bill saving
is calculated by multiplying the latest water tariff and the volume of the harvested rainwater,
while the water demand is approximated by multiplying the number of users in the colleges
with the average water use per person. The supply-demand assessment is performed to
determine the potential impact of rainwater harvesting system installation in replacing paid,
treated water for non-potable use in these premises. It is hoped by promoting green
infrastructures in the campus to conserve natural resources as presented in this study aids the
university in achieving its sustainable campus status by the year 2018.
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