Impact of Urban Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting on Water Security in Sana'a, Yemen: Assessing Adaptation Strategies to Water ScarcityImpact of Urban Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting on Water Security in Sana'a, Yemen: Assessing Adaptation Strategies to Water Scarcity
This study investigates the impact of Urban Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting (URWH) on water availability and scarcity in Sana’a City, Yemen. Given the city’s chronic water shortages and irregular municipal supply, households rely increasingly on alternative sources. This research employs a qualitative exploratory approach to analyze the data collected through semi-structured interviews. A sample of 33 residents was determined based on the principle of data saturation, where interviews continued until no new themes or information emerged; the distribution (26 in Tahrir District and 7 in Al-Sab'een District) reflects the higher population density and more acute water distress in the traditional urban downtown of Tahrir. Additionally, 9 key stakeholders were selected using purposive sampling to ensure a multi-dimensional perspective, representing government water authorities, NGOs, and academia. Findings were derived through Inductive Thematic Analysis, involving systematic coding of interview transcripts to identify recurring patterns and consensus among participants. The results indicate that rainwater harvesting can significantly alleviate water scarcity during rainy months, particularly for low-income households. However, the utilization of rainwater in the areas under study is hindered by a host of barriers, including roof suitability, limited storage capacity, and lack of institutional support. The study highlights the potential of URWH as a locally appropriate adaptation strategy and emphasizes the need for targeted interventions, including the provision of storage tanks, technical guidance, and policy support to maximize its impact.
Metrics
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.