Assessment of rainwater harvesting as an alternative water source for rural Indonesia

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) can be considered as a water source especially for remote areas in Indonesia as the country is in the tropics, and has abundant rainfall. This research was aimed at identifying the ability of RWH as a reliable water supply at the domestic level using building cost, water consumption rates and quality as indicators. We built two individual and one communal RWH systems in Cikarang and studied the building costs, monthly water consumption and water quality for the period November 2015 - August 2016. The results show that on average, the cost of building an RWH system was approximately IDR 5 million (USD 362) for an individual system and IDR 29 million (USD 2, 100) for a communal system. With a 1, 050-litre water tank, an individual RWH system could not fulfil an individual household's minimum water requirement, and households must top up water for at least 6 months when rainfall is less plentiful. With 10, 200-litre water tank, a communal RWH system should be able to meet minimum water requirements, because it was able to collect about 236 m 3 water in a year, which is close to the 50 litre/person/day requirement for water consumption as a basic human right. The quality of harvested rainwater did not conform to drinking water standards, especially for total coliforms. However, the appearance of the water was clear and taste was adequate such that some households consumed the harvested water after boiling.