The Strategies of Rainfall Accumulation and Utilization in New Countryside

Li LIU

College of City Construction,Jiangxi Normal University,Nanchang 330022,China

Responsible editor:Xiaoxue WANG Responsible proofreader:Xiaoyan WU

Since the 1990s,urban elements are continuously extending to rural areas,so that peasants’ courtyards are taken placed of by construction buildings,and earth roads,clay roads,and stone roads are replaced by asphalt roads and cement roads replace,which increases impervious area and surface runoffs and decreases infiltration amount of rainfalls.Consequently,rainfalls are not effectively made use of,but a series of problems are emerging,such as rural non-point pollution,water and soil losses,destruction on eco-environment and floods.Therefore,green infrastructure should be taken into consideration in planning of new countryside construction.During the process of construction,rainfall should be fully made use of in a rational way as per rural natural and social factors,instead of just imitation of urban roads.

Rainfall accumulation and use refers to a micro-water conservancy project on rainfall collection,storing and adjustment[1].It is an engineering measure increasing income and reducing expenditure,resolving the issue of water shortage and providing water resources for urban landscape projects.Hence,it takes advantages in terms of both water saving and ecoenvironment improving[1].In China,rural population represents 56%,of which 27%live in arid or semi-arid areas where water scarcity is serious for farmlands,domestic animals and even people.Water in most rural areas is far from meeting the water quota of Rural Water Supply Design Rules[2].In rural areas,rainfalls are frequently contaminated by environment in collecting,transportation,storage and utilization processes.Therefore,it is hard for rainwater quality to achieve national standard of drinking water.Rainfall collection and utilization projects allows comprehensive use of natural rainwater,improving rural environment,and landscapes,which is conductive to water sustainable use and promotes construction of new socialist countryside.

Problems Existing in Rainfall Accumulation and Use in Rural areas

Although develops well in rural areas,the research and application of rainfall accumulation and utilization has problems.

The absence of a systematic plan

Ascientific system of rainfall accumulation and use is unavailable in rural areas.Without a general plan,many rural rainfall accumulation and use technologies perform lower in efficiency in terms of just small water conservancy projects,such as cisterns and ponds[2].Besides,it is much common that rainfall utilization projects are constructed in its own way locally and the project quality,standard,and forms are not strictly ruled[3].Meanwhile,some aspects are ignored,including controlling of agricultural nonpoint pollution,compensation of rainfall for ground water,water and soil conservation,environment improvement and landscape design[2].

The absence of hi-tech technology application

Rainfall use projects dominated by traditional technologies and contributed by lower science and technology,are mainly for self-construction,self-management and self-utilization of farmers or the collectives.For example,cistern projects or agronomic techniques are simple and practical,but less contributed by science and technology,so that efficiency proves lower.Additionally,the new technology,materials and equipments are rarely applied,affecting further exploitation of rainfall utilization projects’benefits.

The absence of non-engineering measures

The rainfall accumulation and utilization projects should formulated with consideration of economic,environmental and social benefits,as well as transportation planning,eco-landscape,and environment constructions.Hence,technology supports,engineering measure,and policies,nonengineering measure,are all required,which,however,are not available in China.

Rainfall Accumulation and Utilization Based on Construction of New Countryside

The construction of new socialist countryside has demands on both of economy evolvement and resourcesaving society development.These require the integration of rainwater utilization with agricultural production and landscape construction.It is important to reinforce construction of protected agriculture and implement rainwater collection and storage projects.In the regions with water scarcity,water-saving irrigation can be applied and waterbased landscape be constructed in the rich countryside with abundant rains[4].

The use of reclaimed water

Rural sites are much complicated,involving impervious areas,such as roof and road,and pervious areas,such as courtyard and slope.Furthermore,meteorology,landform,and economy tend to be volatile upon regions.In planning rainwater collection and utilization,it is recommended to take measures according to local conditions,to select practical and effective measures.

The collection and utilization of rainfallDomestically,the research of rainfall accumulation and utilization focuses on rainwater collection technology of rain-fed agriculture.Nevertheless,less attention is paid to the scattered-use in the regions with catchment area,and rainfalls of roof,courtyard and the areas around houses are not fully made use of[2].Because quality of rains on roofs is better compared with grounds and roads,the highly-polluted rains can be through rainwater flow system and the collected rainwater thereafter can be used directly for irrigation in courtyard.Therefore,it is effective to make full use of rainwater on ground,courtyard and roof as water collection sites.Rainwater tanks or rainwater downpipe can be installed on roofs to collect water and rainwater enters the tanks after simple deposition and filtrating processes[7].Its uses include water for garden,water for livestock,water for irrigation,and water for domestic uses.What’s more,the harvested water can be also used as drinking water if quality is allowed.

Compensation of ground water by rainfallsRainwater permeability is an indirect scattered and environmentfriendly way of using rainfalls,characterized by low cost,easy implementation and high environment-profits.It is suitable to be applied in eco-villages using underground water,such as permeation in courtyard and greenbelts.

Permeation of courtyardThe catchment area in courtyard is small,where rainfall LID retention facilities are available.Besides,grasses or flowers are recommended to be planted in courtyards,and small gardens can be constructed to grow seasonal vegetables.The planting areas should be lower than pavement,to allow rains entering.In order to guarantee working of permeation facilities,rainfall flow facility should be used to abandon the heavily-polluted rainwater; soil purification and permeation system is available for treatment of rainfalls slightly polluted.As for later rainwater,water quality is better,rainfall garden can be established in courtyards where flowers and seasonal vegetables can be planted.Therefore,the practice makes full use of rainfalls and purifies rains,improving system safety.

Greenbelts of roadsRoad hardening is a pro-people project widely applied during the construction of new socialist countryside[2].However,when original natural sites are transformed and hardened,it prevents rainfalls from permeating soils,which increases surface runoffs and cut the supply of rainfall for ground water.Therefore,greenbelts should be designed along roads to separate lane from sidewalk,which is safe,beautiful and environment-friendly.Besides,grasses can be grown on gutters for flood detention and impoundment.In the villages,rocks and stones,instead of concretes,should be priority in road paving in villages,because besides beautifying,rocks are conductive to rainfall permeation to soils from rock crevices,conserving water.Furthermore,shallow gullies of infiltration ponds,rain gardens,streets and pavements can be used to collect rainwater,combining rainfall management of road with landscape construction in order to build waterproof pavement and paid greenbelts of streets into green landscape spaces with rainfall management functions.It is notable that plants and soils play the role of rainfall management,restoring rain cycling process.

To build micro-ecological environment based on rainfalls

To establish eco-environment relying on rains can be dated back to traditional Chinese dwellings.For example,the dwellings in south of Anhui called “Sishuiguitang” a kind of Chinese traditional buildings,provide an ecologicalized site integrating natural elements by collecting rainfalls[5],because the evaporation of rainfalls from surrounding areas of the dwellings advances ventilations and cools down surrounding structures of the dwellings.Therefore,it is necessary to take construction of ecological and energy-saving micro-environment at planning of new countryside.In terms of rural environment,a front pond can be designed to make use of adsorption of aquatic plants on N and P,and landscape lake and ecological drainage ditch are available to collect and purify rainwater,for irrigation,afforestation and improving rural eco-environment.Furthermore,roof gardens can be built in large public buildings,such as courtyards of village committee,and schools,or landscape construction proceeds according to local conditions,such as constructions of pavilions,terraces and open halls,which makes full use of rainwater and enhances spiritual enjoyment simultaneously[2].Besides,patios,courtyards and tanks can be built in rural households on basis of construction experience of ancient buildings,of which the patios or courtyards collect rainwater,forming inner micro-climate of buildings.These promote suitable environment and reduce rural energies.Additionally,roofs can be built into green roofs of the public buildings in villages,such as village committee and schools,beautifying environment and exploiting rainwater,as well.Because interspaces exist widely among the planting layers of roof afforestation,which absorbs lots of rainfalls for plant absorption.It is notable that antiseep and appropriate roofs provide guarantee for safety of green roof[6].

Rainwater Accumulations and Uses in New Countryside

Anew socialist countryside should be ecological,sustainable and environment-friendly-oriented.Hence,measures can be taken confronted by issues of water scarcity,non-point pollution,water and soil losses,as well as the demands of new countryside on eco-environment improvement.

A general plan

It is imperative to conduct comprehensive management on rainfalls in rural areas.In terms of rainfall accumulation and use in rural areas,with the concept of watershed widely applied,rainfall management unit should be taken as a management unit from the perspective of a watershed and the sites with larger watersheds can be considered consisting of small catchment basins and sunk tanks.It is notable that a small catchment basin and a sunk tank make a rainfall management unit.What’s more,with consideration of rural status and new countryside development characters,it is proposed to build a comprehensive technology system covering rainfall accumulation and use,eco-environment protection,landscape construction,water and soil conservation,flood control,and non-point pollution control and establish a rainfall accumulation and use system according to local characters of different villages,followed by application in new countryside.

Technology development

It is important to explore regulating and storage,and use of floods reinforce appropriate for China by reinforcing relevant theory and technology research,scientific fund supports,and foreign advanced technology,especially for development and research of auxiliary models on flood regulation and utilization[8].Besides,trainings should be provided for farmers based on rural economic and natural conditions,so that rains use technology products will be available for farmers,which is conductive to relief of agricultural water scarcity,rural runoff,and hydrogeology calamity.

Laws regulation

Led by administrative departments,it is necessary to formulate and issue regulations of rural rainfall regulation and utilization by improving technology support and management of rainfall adjustment and regulation.Besides,supplemented by rainfall regulation and storage technology,it is important to provide a feasible and sustainable guarantee for rainfall adjustment and utilization by managements and formulate rational preferential policies and subsidy means to strengthen economic grants of raintriggered floods and advance carrying out of related work.For example,Baguma et al.discovered that there are multiple elements affecting application of rainfalls,compensation system in particular,in the research of rainwater regulation and utilization in rural areas[9].

Conclusions

Rainwater accumulation and utilization is a multi-objective comprehensive technology system,which should be applied as per local conditions.In accordance with geographical location,climate,social and economic foundation,and water demands,rainwater accumulation and utilization measures can be taken in order to lay foundation for construction of a leisure,harmonious and highly-qualified living environment for local residents.

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