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Rainwater harvesting refers to structures which catch rainwater and store it in underground or above-ground tanks for later use. Where access Any suitable roof surface — tiles, metal sheets, plastics, but not grass or palm leaf — can be used to intercept the flow of rainwater and provide a household with high-quality drinking water. Rainwater harvesting systems have been used since antiquity, and examples abound in all the great civilizations throughout history. In many cases, groundwater is limitedor surface water may be unavailable for drinking water. The groundwater level may be too deep, groundwater may be contaminated with minerals and chemicals such as arsenic or salt, surface water may be contaminated with faeces or if groundwater has a bad qualitychemicals. In these cases, rainwater harvesting can be an effective and low-cost solution. Rainwater falls on your own roof, and is almost always of excellent quality. It enables people to manage their own water supply and provides the luxury of “water without walking”, relieving the burden of water carrying, particularly for women and children. This convenience is available at every house on which rain falls, whether on a mountain top or an island in a salt sea.
Different catchment types are used, such as roof catchment, paved surface catchment, surface catchment and riverbed catchment. Water can be stored during the wet season using one of several methods, eg. an [[underground tank]], [[wire-cement tank]], sand dam or [[plastic-lined tank]], until the water is needed in the dry season.