Khorasan Agriculture and Natural Resource Research Center, Iran.
Water Sci Technol. 2010;62(4):816-21. doi: 10.2166/wst.2010.298.
In order to evaluate the potential of rainwater harvesting (RWH) for mitigating water scarcity in a semi-arid zone of the country (Mashhad-Iran), three typical RWH systems were installed and monitored. The first system consists of 5,000 m² natural ground catchment which was leveled and covered with plastic sheets allowing for maximum possible runoff generation. Surface runoff was conducted into a 500 m³ ground reservoir via a series of draining ditches and an end collection channel. The water collected from a plastic covered catchment was used for irrigation of dryland wheat cultivation. According to the result of two years measurements, grain yield was almost doubled in irrigated plots when compared to conventional rainfed cultivation. In the second RWH system, runoff generated from about 2 ha asphaltic road and parking was diverted into a 1,200 m³ ground reservoir. The results of 2 years measurement for reservoir inflow and outflow indicated that runoff generated during rainy season was sufficient to produce necessary water for irrigating 900 planted fruit trees during successive dry seasons. The last experiment reported here is about a 40 m² roof area which was connected to a plastic tank for runoff measurement. The conclusion was that the proposed RWH system can produce enough water for building's toilets' flashes and other sanitary purposes so that the potable water could be saved considerably. In general, the results of three rainwater harvesting experiments showed the importance of using rainwater for compensating the effect of water shortages which is repeatedly occurring due to the effect of current climate change and ever increasing water utilization for drinking and food production.
为了评估雨水收集（RWH）在缓解该国半干旱地区（伊朗马什哈德）水资源短缺方面的潜力，安装并监测了三个典型的 RWH 系统。第一个系统由 5000 平方米的天然地面集水区组成，该集水区进行了平整，并覆盖了塑料片，以最大限度地产生径流量。地表径流通过一系列排水渠和末端集流渠导入 500 立方米的地下蓄水池。从塑料覆盖的集水区收集的水用于灌溉旱地小麦种植。根据两年的测量结果，与传统的雨养种植相比，灌溉地块的粮食产量几乎翻了一番。在第二个 RWH 系统中，约 2 公顷的沥青道路和停车场产生的径流被引入 1200 立方米的地下蓄水池。两年的蓄水池入流和出流测量结果表明，雨季产生的径流量足以在连续旱季为 900 棵种植的果树提供必要的灌溉用水。这里报告的最后一个实验是关于一个 40 平方米的屋顶面积，它与一个塑料水箱相连，用于测量径流。结论是，所提出的 RWH 系统可以产生足够的水用于建筑物的厕所冲洗和其他卫生用途，从而可以大大节省饮用水。总的来说，三个雨水收集实验的结果表明，利用雨水来补偿当前气候变化和不断增加的饮用水和食品生产用水对水资源短缺的影响非常重要。
