Rainwater harvesting in Uganda

During your study of geography at GCSE you will need to understand ways in which access to resources, especially water, can impact people’s lives and how this can be managed sustainably. This article looks at how rainwater harvesting is helping people in rural Uganda improve their access to water. It is an example of a bottom-up strategy.

Josh Rogers

Tanks in Uganda next to homes store rainwater for later use

The United Nations (UN) lists water as a basic human right, meaning that regardless of race, nationality or economic status water is a right that everyone deserves. However, our global water footprint is massive and, worldwide, freshwater is being used unsustainably.

Seventy per cent of global freshwater is used for agriculture to feed our growing population and a further 20% is used in energy production. Climate change means that we are losing water from melting ice caps, which hold nearly 70% of all freshwater. These issues mean that we need to look for ways to manage water sustainably, to make sure that everyone has access to this basic human right.