Investigating on the role of rainwater harvesting and springs in compensating water consumption and cost in the Divandareh city, Kurdistan Province

Due to the lack of adequate sources of drinking water and uncertainty about the quality of these sources, along with rising water demand due to population growth, it is important to find a suitable solution to supply drinking water. Rainwater harvesting from roofs and use of natural discharge from springs are among techniques which can replace surface and underground water resources. The city of Divandareh in Kurdistan province has a strong potential to utilize these two sources. According to population statistics from 2011, the annual water consumption per capita of the city is 1871110 cubic meters. Our results showed that these two sources can provide 1001235 cubic meters of water per year. Based on the average annual consumption of each person in the city, springs and harvested rain can meet  53.5% of the city’s water demand, priced at 5,256,483,960 rials per year using the price of drinking water, and 4,246,463,320 rials per year using the price of raw water. The results indicated that in the case of comprehensive management of these two resources for optimal storage and utilization, they could be suitable options to compensate for abnormal water consumption, and in some cases the conditions of permanent stress and water shortage in the city would be prevented. Keywords: Rainwater Harvesting, Springs, Water use, Divandareh, Kurdistan