Optimal ways to harvest and purify rainwater in the Western and Nyanza provinces, Kenya

Abstract: The access to water in the regions around Lake Victoria varies with the rainy seasons. Today the daily labor of fetching water is a heavy burden for people in the rural areas. In the process of this study farmers in the Western and Nyanza provinces in Kenya are interviewed, water samples are analysed and present rainwater harvesting techniques and purification methods are observed. As a result, suitable solutions to the problems found are discussed. An optimal system is chosen for the region with a concept selection matrix. An elaborated dimensioning tool for roof and purpose-built harvesting systems is developed. Finally a summarized manual is attached in order to raise interest for rainwater harvesting among the farmers that the non-governmental organisation SCC-Vi Agroforestry cooperates with.