Assessing Rainwater Harvesting Potential in Urban Areas: A Building Information Modelling (BIM) Approach

Ahsen Maqsoom, Bilal Aslam, Sharjeel Ismail, Muhammad Jamaluddin Thaheem, Fahim Ullah, Hafiz Zahoor, Muhammad Ali Musarat and Nikolai Ivanovich Vatin
Additional contact information
Ahsen Maqsoom: Department of Civil Engineering, COMSATS University Islamabad Wah Campus, Wah Cantt 47040, Pakistan
Bilal Aslam: Department of Data Science, Riphah International University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
Sharjeel Ismail: Department of Civil Engineering, COMSATS University Islamabad Wah Campus, Wah Cantt 47040, Pakistan
Muhammad Jamaluddin Thaheem: School of Architecture and Built Environment, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
Fahim Ullah: School of Civil Engineering and Surveying, University of Southern Queensland, Springfield, QLD 4300, Australia
Hafiz Zahoor: Department of Construction Engineering and Management, National University of Sciences and Technology, Risalpur Campus, KPK 24080, Pakistan
Muhammad Ali Musarat: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar 32610, Malaysia
Nikolai Ivanovich Vatin: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, 195251 St. Petersburg, Russia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 22, 1-21

Abstract: Water scarcity has become a major problem for many countries, resulting in declining water supply and creating a need to find alternative solutions. One potential solution is rainwater harvesting (RwH), which allows rainwater to be stored for human needs. This study develops an RwH assessment system through building information modeling (BIM). For this purpose, a hydrological study of Cfa-type climate cities is conducted with the example of Islamabad, Pakistan. The monthly rainfall data of three sites were assessed to determine the volume of the accumulated rainwater and its potential to meet human needs. The average number of people living in a house is taken as the household number. Household number or of the number of employees working at a small enterprise, roofing material, and rooftop area are used as the key parameters for pertinent assessment in the BIM. The data simulated by BIM highlight the RwH potential using five people per house as the occupancy and a 90 m 2 rooftop area for residential buildings or small enterprises as parameters. The results show that the selected sites can collect as much as 8,190 L/yr of rainwater (48 L/person/day) to 103,300 L/yr of rainwater (56 L/person/day). This much water is enough to fulfill the daily demands of up to five people. Therefore, it is established that the study area has an RwH potential that is able to meet the expected demands. This study presents a baseline approach for RwH to address water scarcity issues for residential buildings and factories of the future.

Keywords: rainwater harvesting (RwH); water demand; building information modeling (BIM); hydrological investigation; sustainable drainage systems (SuDs); residential buildings (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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