Evaluating the impact of roof rainwater harvesting on hydrological connectivity and urban flood mitigation

Urban flooding, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, has become a growing concern in densely populated metropolitan areas. Roof rainwater harvesting is a form of low impact development that offers an effective solution for mitigating urban flooding, particularly in densely populated metropoli...

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Main Authors: Quang-Oai Lu, Reza Bahramloo, Jesús Rodrigo-Comino, Jun Wang, Ali Talebi, Quynh Thi Phuong Tran, Afshin Ghahramani, Mehdi Sepehri
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-03-01
Series:Results in Engineering
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025001100
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author Quang-Oai Lu
Reza Bahramloo
Jesús Rodrigo-Comino
Jun Wang
Ali Talebi
Quynh Thi Phuong Tran
Afshin Ghahramani
Mehdi Sepehri
author_facet Quang-Oai Lu
Reza Bahramloo
Jesús Rodrigo-Comino
Jun Wang
Ali Talebi
Quynh Thi Phuong Tran
Afshin Ghahramani
Mehdi Sepehri
author_sort Quang-Oai Lu
collection DOAJ
description Urban flooding, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, has become a growing concern in densely populated metropolitan areas. Roof rainwater harvesting is a form of low impact development that offers an effective solution for mitigating urban flooding, particularly in densely populated metropolitan areas. However, few scientific studies have attempted to model this dynamic, allowing us to increase water collection and reduce the risk of floods, especially in arid and semiarid areas. This study examined the impact of Roof rainwater harvesting on flood severity using the Borselli index of connectivity, which quantifies the degree to runoff connectivity between upstream and downstream areas, reflecting the potential for runoff to contribute to flooding. As a case study, we selected Hamadan, one of the world's oldest cities. The methodology involved quantifying HC under two scenarios: with and without Roof rainwater harvesting implementation. The results demonstrated a substantial reduction in hydrological connectivity when Roof rainwater harvesting was implemented, highlighting the valuable effectiveness of Roof rainwater harvesting. In contrast, without Roof rainwater harvesting, most of the areas, particularly in the middle and northern regions, had a high degree of hydrological connectivity. Overall, with the incorporation of RRWH, there was a significant shift toward increased connectivity. The areas characterized by very high and high degrees of hydrological connectivity in the absence of Roof rainwater harvesting decreased to 11.4 % and 20.4 %, respectively. Conversely, the moderate, low, and very low hydrological connectivity categories experienced increases of 27.9, 28.4, and 11.7 %, respectively. We conclude that this new evaluation of hydrological connectivity can serve as a valuable tool for assessing hydrological connectivity in urban areas and reveal to land managers where Roof rainwater harvesting is not effectively applied and where possible improvements must be made. However, the success of Roof rainwater harvesting in urban areas depends on technical, social, and regulatory support, as well as public acceptance for non-potable uses.
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spelling doaj-art-b664b635f8db4b3093ac644050c3e3002025-01-23T05:27:39ZengElsevierResults in Engineering2590-12302025-03-0125104022Evaluating the impact of roof rainwater harvesting on hydrological connectivity and urban flood mitigationQuang-Oai Lu0Reza Bahramloo1Jesús Rodrigo-Comino2Jun Wang3Ali Talebi4Quynh Thi Phuong Tran5Afshin Ghahramani6Mehdi Sepehri7Advanced Applied Sciences Research Group, Dong Nai Technology University, Bien Hoa City, Vietnam; Faculty of Technology, Dong Nai Technology University, Bien Hoa City, VietnamAgricultural Engineering Research Department, Hamedan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Hamedan, IranDepartamento de Análisis Geográfico Regional y Geografía Física, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Campus Universitario de Cartuja, Universidad de Granada, 18071, Granada, SpainSchool of Civil Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong Province, 250061, PR ChinaDepartment of Watershed Management, Faculty of Natural Resources, Yazd University, Yazd, IranFaculty of Environment and Labour Safety, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Corresponding author.Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Queensland Government, Toowoomba, QLD 4350, AustraliaRangeland Department, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Tehran, IranUrban flooding, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, has become a growing concern in densely populated metropolitan areas. Roof rainwater harvesting is a form of low impact development that offers an effective solution for mitigating urban flooding, particularly in densely populated metropolitan areas. However, few scientific studies have attempted to model this dynamic, allowing us to increase water collection and reduce the risk of floods, especially in arid and semiarid areas. This study examined the impact of Roof rainwater harvesting on flood severity using the Borselli index of connectivity, which quantifies the degree to runoff connectivity between upstream and downstream areas, reflecting the potential for runoff to contribute to flooding. As a case study, we selected Hamadan, one of the world's oldest cities. The methodology involved quantifying HC under two scenarios: with and without Roof rainwater harvesting implementation. The results demonstrated a substantial reduction in hydrological connectivity when Roof rainwater harvesting was implemented, highlighting the valuable effectiveness of Roof rainwater harvesting. In contrast, without Roof rainwater harvesting, most of the areas, particularly in the middle and northern regions, had a high degree of hydrological connectivity. Overall, with the incorporation of RRWH, there was a significant shift toward increased connectivity. The areas characterized by very high and high degrees of hydrological connectivity in the absence of Roof rainwater harvesting decreased to 11.4 % and 20.4 %, respectively. Conversely, the moderate, low, and very low hydrological connectivity categories experienced increases of 27.9, 28.4, and 11.7 %, respectively. We conclude that this new evaluation of hydrological connectivity can serve as a valuable tool for assessing hydrological connectivity in urban areas and reveal to land managers where Roof rainwater harvesting is not effectively applied and where possible improvements must be made. However, the success of Roof rainwater harvesting in urban areas depends on technical, social, and regulatory support, as well as public acceptance for non-potable uses.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025001100Roof rainwater harvestingUrban floodingHydrological connectivityCatchment
spellingShingle Quang-Oai Lu
Reza Bahramloo
Jesús Rodrigo-Comino
Jun Wang
Ali Talebi
Quynh Thi Phuong Tran
Afshin Ghahramani
Mehdi Sepehri
Evaluating the impact of roof rainwater harvesting on hydrological connectivity and urban flood mitigation
Results in Engineering
Roof rainwater harvesting
Urban flooding
Hydrological connectivity
Catchment
title Evaluating the impact of roof rainwater harvesting on hydrological connectivity and urban flood mitigation
title_full Evaluating the impact of roof rainwater harvesting on hydrological connectivity and urban flood mitigation
title_fullStr Evaluating the impact of roof rainwater harvesting on hydrological connectivity and urban flood mitigation
title_full_unstemmed Evaluating the impact of roof rainwater harvesting on hydrological connectivity and urban flood mitigation
title_short Evaluating the impact of roof rainwater harvesting on hydrological connectivity and urban flood mitigation
title_sort evaluating the impact of roof rainwater harvesting on hydrological connectivity and urban flood mitigation
topic Roof rainwater harvesting
Urban flooding
Hydrological connectivity
Catchment
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025001100
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