Millions of Gallons of Water Filling the Streets is an Opportunity Lost
Central Africa is experiencing a catastrophic confluence of rapidly growing urban population and a lack of water infrastructure to accommodate it. Water sources are typically shared community wells and many homes lack indoor plumbing. Rainwater that once soaked into the native sandy soils now collects on streets, causing intense flooding and unimaginable erosion.
According to the United Nations, the population of Africa is expected to double by 2050, most of which will occur around rapidly growing cities like Brazzaville, Republic of Congo and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. These two capital cities, located directly across the Congo River from one another, are home to over 17 million people.
The land that hosts these cities is flooding in low areas and literally unzipping from ravine erosion, taking buildings, roads, livelihoods and lives with it. These problems will worsen because climate change is intensifying monsoonal rainfall.
Terra Firma Rainwater Collective was founded by engineers and hydrologists working with communities to address this solvable problem of too little water when it’s needed, and too much when it’s not.
Our Mission
Terra Firma Rainwater Collective’s mission is to facilitate rainwater harvesting in Central Africa to supply water for domestic use, provide opportunity for small-scale economic development, and combat life threatening urban erosion and flooding.
Clean water is a precious resource. It is also at risk. Climate change, population growth, and pollution are affecting both the supply and quality of useable water. The rainy season brings intense precipitation but in these urban environments, most of the water runs off to the nearest river before it can be put to good use.
Only a simple system is required to harvest this rainwater and store it for domestic use.
Why Harvest Rainwater?
The majority of homes in these cities do not have running water. Fresh water is a commodity that for most homeowners must be collected and transported or purchased and delivered multiple times a week.
At the same time, this region of equatorial Africa receives between 3 and 6 feet of rainfall annually, typically compressed within the few months of the monsoon season. Rainwater is a valuable resource delivered directly to every home.
Terra Firma delivers scalable solutions to help transform monsoon rains from a liability to an asset. Simple yet elegant – we’ve designed an easy way to attach a gutter to the common corrugated metal roof.
Where We Work
Monsoon Rains are the driver…
The issues of flooding, urban erosion and seasonal water supply are common across large parts of monsoonal equatorial Africa.
Our initial effort is to create meaningful change and community engagement in the cities of Brazzaville (Republic of Congo) and Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo). The lessons learned through community-scale demonstration projects will eventually be exported to other affected areas.
Our network of government and NGO partners are well established in these communities, ensuring we are effectively supporting local people employing local solutions to address local problems.