International Journal of Environmental Science and Development

Abstract—This study was aimed to make an assessment for the potential of rainwater harvesting system in Thailand. Both hydrological performance and economic feasibility were used to develop the RWH model for Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand. Net present value (NPV) was applied to analyze the cost effectiveness of rainwater harvesting system. To be summarized, the rainwater harvesting can potentially save tap water consumption in buildings which also gain financial profit depending on the designated system. In this case study, the installation of the RWH system with rainwater tank with the capacity of 30 m3 was suggested due to the ability to save approximately $13,370 with the payback period of 34.8 years. In addition, this method can also the demand of tap water resource for 46,509 m3. For the buildings with higher tap water demand or higher tap water tariff, installing rainwater harvesting system would be strongly recommended for the implementation of rainwater harvesting system. In order to enhance the water resource management towards sustainability, rainwater harvesting system should be considered for the building design later on.

Index Terms—Green infrastructure, rainwater harvesting, sustainable water resource management.

Paron Monjaiang and Orathai Chavalparit are with the Department of Environmental Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand (Corresponding author: Orathai Chavalparit; e-mail: jayparon@gmail.com, orathai.c@chula.ac.th).
Nantamol Limphitakphong is with the Research Unit of Environmental Management and Sustainable Industry, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand (e-mail: nantamoll@gmail.com).
Premrudee Kanchanapiya is with the National Metal and Materials Technology Center, 114 Thailand Science Park, Pathumthani, 12120, Thailand (e-mail: premrudk@gmail.com).
Thanapol Tantisattayakul is with the Faculty of Science and Technology, Thammasat University Rangsit Campus, Pathumthani, 12121, Thailand (e-mail: thanapolosk@hotmail.com).

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Cite: Paron Monjaiang, Nantamol Limphitakphong, Premrudee Kanchanapiya, Thanapol Tantisattayakul, and Orathai Chavalparit, "Assessing Potential of Rainwater Harvesting: Case Study Building in Bangkok," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development vol. 9, no. 8, pp. 222-225, 2018.