(i) Environmental Benefits

Rainwater harvesting promotes independence and self sufficiency and also help to develop an appreciation for this precious Allah given resource. This activity conserves water and also energy in the form of the energy input required to treat and pump water over a vast service area for a centralized water system.

Local erosion and flooding due to runoff from impervious areas such as pavement and roofs will be reduced by rainwater harvesting as some rain is instead captured and stored. Consequently, stormwater run-off, which picks up contaminants and degrades our drains, streams, rivers and seas, is tamed and harnessed for human uses.

Promoting underground infiltration of rainwater can prevent cities from being plagued with thermal pollution and water shortage, and help improve the urban environment, and also contribute to groundwater recharge enabling the consumption of good tasting groundwater. Rainwater utilization leads to the holistic solution of water resources and environmental problems in urban areas.

(ii) Domestic and Industrial Benefits

The exceptional quality of rainwater have prompted many people to choose rainwater as their primary water source, or for other non-potable uses such as toilet flushing, washing clothes and garden watering. Rainwater quality often exceeds that of ground or surface water as it does not come into contact with soil, dissolving salts and minerals in the process. It is not subject to the myriad of pollutants found in rivers that can also contaminate aquifers.

Rainwater has hardness approaching zero thereby reducing significantly the quantity of detergents and soaps needed for cleaning, as compared to typical piped water. Soap scum and hardness deposits disappear, and the need for a water softener, often an expensive requirement for well water systems, is eliminated. Water heaters and pipes will be free of deposits caused by hard water and should last longer. The purity of rainwater also makes it attractive for certain industries for which pure water is a requirement such as computer microchip manufacturing and photographic processing.