摘要：The coastal region of Bangladesh has been identified as the most climate induced, hazard-prone, hard-to-reach area in Bangladesh. The conventional drinking water sources (rivers, ponds, groundwater) in thecoastal area have become contaminated recently due to saltwater intrusion from the rising sea levels andfrequent natural disaster. Household rainwater harvesting could be an alternative measure for reducingimpact of climate change on water supplies because of the availability of rainwater. This study is to explorethe potential of household rainwater harvesting for drinking purposes in the coastal area of Bangladesh.Rainwater harvesting is found technically feasible on the basis of rainfall pattern, household roof constructingmaterial, and roof size. The annual rainfall of over 1900mm with inter annual variability of 0.18, makes therainwater harvesting ideal in the coastal areas. Harvested rainwater can satisfy household monthly drinkingwater demand from March to October. The excess rainwater stored in September and October is sufficientto meet the demand in the dry months (November to February) provided there is adequate storage facility.The quality of stored rainwater was satisfactory from chemical parameters perspective and additional treatmentis recommended for the harvested rainwater due to frequent detection of microbial contamination.
