This blog is dedicated to our Journalists for Rainwater Harvesting. They will report on examples of rainwater harvesting in their own countries and communities, helping us raise the profile of rainwater harvesting - both locally and globally.

Wednesday, 26 December 2012

Rain Water harvesting in London,UK


We are in London for Christmas and went off scouting for Boxing Day deals at B & Q in New Malden. Going up the escalator into the store our eyes fell on the large posters showing off how the store is the 'greenest' one in the chain. For me an environment journalist the information about their harvesting rain from the roof to water the plants in their rooftop garden centre was interesting.
Walking out into the open- to- sky garden we were greeted with brightly flowering Primroses which brightened our dank and grey day. Looking around at the roof we could see the neat piping collecting the rainwater to be used to water the collection of garden plants.
There were posters in the garden utilities area encouraging the collection of rain water in a water butt. " Collect the 85,000 litres of rain water that falls on your roof," advised a poster and for me coming from a dry and thirsty India to a wet UK, the fact that RWH is being advocated here as well was a good feeling. No one even thinks about how much pristine and clear water gets wasted when rain water is allowed to flow off any where in the world.










Considering that this is the UK where there is so much rain so one assumes there is plenty of water, it is good to see RWH advocacy being pushed and people being made aware of the fact that collecting rainwater could help to water their gardens and open areas rather than let it flow away unused.