SILVA NETO, J. S.; SILVA NETO, Jonas Sebastião da.
Résumé:
Water scarcity in semiarid regions is a natural problem all over the world. The search for
water sources to supply these regions usually results in large-scale works whose costs end up
being passed on to the population that benefits from them. The process of expanding the
urban fabric of cities, mainly medium and large, is an issue that must be provided for in their
Master Plans, so that they are able to meet the demands in terms of quantity and quality
required by the responsible bodies. Among the alternatives used to minimize the problems
associated with reduced water supply is the use of rainwater. Especially in horizontal
condominiums, whose catchment areas are usually large, this can be a sustainable and
economically viable option. The construction of this type of development has grown in
medium-sized cities, heated by the real estate sector, which sees a strong economic advantage
and bets on this type of housing. in the municipality of Lagoa Seca/PB, whose main demands
of its residents are met by the neighboring city, Campina Grande. The study evaluated the
potential for capturing rainwater that falls on the roof of common spaces such as a ballroom,
guardhouse and administrative sector for use in washing sidewalks and watering gardens in
public spaces. This work carried out two intervention proposals for the use of rainwater
through the implementation of a rainwater harvesting system (SAAC). The first one – for the
use of irrigation in the gardens and football field of the club, proved to be viable as an
alternative to complement this activity and reduce the demand for the current water source
used for this purpose. The dimensioned 75 m³ reservoir, together with the global SAAC
system, had a return time of up to 3 years, where dry, normal and rainy scenarios were
studied. Proposal 2 aimed to use the water collected in the sanitary appliances of the
condominium leisure block, which resulted in a reservoir with a capacity of 50 m³. The results
obtained were even more positive, with a payback time not exceeding 18 months, where, for a
rainy scenario, the project can be reimbursed in less than 1 year. Checking the veracity of
water sustainability of a condominium whose area exceeds 230 km², represents advantages.
Seeking ways to reduce the demand for water supplied by the public network, there is, on the
one hand, the environmental issue and, on the other, the financial one, with the reduction of
the condominium's high water bill.
