A smart rainwater harvesting, control and treatment system for safe water drinking.

Abstract

This project presents the design and implementation of a Smart Rainwater Harvesting, Control, and Treatment System aimed at providing a reliable, safe, and sustainable source of drinking water (smith &Johnsson, 2023). The system is specifically developed to address the water quality and accessibility challenges commonly faced in Ugandan communities, especially in institutions such as schools and health centers. The system integrates a rainwater collection unit, a filtration stage for removing physical debris, and an intelligent boiling treatment mechanism that eliminates microbiological contaminants. A microcontroller (Arduino Uno) acts as the central processing unit, receiving inputs from various sensors including flow switches, temperature sensors, and water level sensors (Garcia & Patel, 2020). It automates water flow through solenoid valves, activates the heater to boil water, and regulates treated water transfer into a clean storage tank. Real-time system status is displayed using an LCD and LED indicators for easy user interaction and monitoring. This approach ensures that collected rainwater is not only harvested efficiently but also made safe for drinking through boiling—a method recognized globally for effective microbial disinfection (World Health Organisation,2019). The system minimizes manual operation, reduces health risks from untreated water, and operates in an energy-conscious and cost-effective manner (Kumar,2023). The proposed system offers the following key benefits: 1. Improved water safety through reliable boiling treatment. 2. Automated water control for enhanced operational efficiency. 3. Minimal chemical usage, reducing environmental impact. 4. Scalability and adaptability for rural homes, schools, health centres, and refugee settlements. 5. Low maintenance and simple operation suitable for low-resource settings (Nguyen et al., 2022).