Selection and Evaluation of Potential Stormwater Harvesting Sites in Urban Areas

Urban cities are universally becoming water stressed due to combined pressures of increasing urbanisation, growing populations, and fluctuating climate change regimes. Therefore, water resource managers are globally developing strategies to ensure water security and associated long term sustainable use. Stormwater harvesting represents one of those strategies which reduces pressure on existing urban water resources, and mitigates the detrimental environmental impacts of urban stormwater runoff on receiving water bodies. Selection of suitable urban stormwater harvesting sites and associated project planning are often complex due to spatial, temporal, economic, environmental and social factors, and associated various other variables. Moreover, the planning of stormwater harvesting projects essentially involves the engagement of diverse stakeholders in the decision making, who may have conflicting views on stormwater harvesting sites and approaches.