Rainwater harvesting potential of University of Cape Coast campus: a GIS approach

This study accesses the potential of rainwater harvesting as an alternative to conventional water supply scheme in University of Cape Coast. The study involves estimating the surface area of rooftops on the University of Cape Coast campus by using Geographical Information System (GIS), obtaining the mean annual rainfall from the meteorological survey department and determining the quantity of rainwater that can be harvested on UCC campus. Satellite imagery of the whole campus is obtained with Google Earth. Thematic Maps are generated for 2008 to 2012. The volume of rainwater is then calculated for each year. From the calculation, it is realized that an average volume of 178,441m3 of rainwater can be harvested each year. The average water demand of the university during peak seasons is estimated to be 548.1m3 per day. This implies that, the rainwater can serve the University for about 325 days.