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Metallic Iron, (Rain)Water, and the City: A Handout for Researchers and Policymakers

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Metallic Iron, (Rain)Water, and the City: A Handout for Researchers and Policymakers

Yang Song 1 Adeline Mih Sih 2 Coretta Tchouandem Nzali 3 Abdurrahman Aliyu 2 Esther Laurentine Nya 4,5 Tulinave Burton Mwamila 6,7 Chérifa Abdelbaki 8 Bernard Konadu Amoah 9 Huiyang Qiu 1 Rui Hu 1 Willis Gwenzi 10 Chicgoua Noubactep 1,11,12,*

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1
School of Earth Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China
2
Pan African University Institute of Water and Energy Sciences—PAUWES. c/o Tlemcen University, B.P. 119, Pôle Chetouane, Tlemcen 13000, Algeria
3
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, Agripolis, Viale del l’Università 16, University of Padua, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
4
Faculty of Arts, Letters and Social Sciences, University of Bertoua, Bertoua P.O. Box 416, Cameroon
5
Eau Potable Pour Tous (EPPT), Bangangté P.O. Box 9362, Cameroon
6
Water Institute, Ministry of Water, Dar es Salaam P.O. Box 35059, Tanzania
7
NTWAM Water and Environment Initiative, Dar es Salaam P.O. Box 1041, Tanzania
8
Department of Hydraulics, Faculty of Technology, University of Tlemcen, Tlemcen 13000, Algeria
9
Geological Engineering Department, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana
10
Biosystems and Environmental Engineering Research Group, 380 Adylin, Westgate, Harare P.O. Box MP167, Zimbabwe
11
Department of Applied Geology, University of Göttingen, Goldschmidtstraße 3, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
12
Centre for Modern Indian Studies (CeMIS), University of Göttingen, Waldweg 26, D-37073 Göttingen, Germany
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: 23 November 2025 Revised: 24 February 2026 Accepted: 23 March 2026 Published: 31 March 2026

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© 2026 The authors. This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Hydroecol. Eng. 2026, 3(1), 10003; DOI: 10.70322/hee.2026.10003
ABSTRACT: This study aims to promote residential rainwater harvesting everywhere rain falls. It recalls the history of urban rainwater (stormwater) management while insisting on the origin of the perception that rainwater is not a relevant source of potable water. It also argues that where rainwater is polluted, it can be easily treated using frugal technologies such as filtration on metallic iron-based filters. The study notes that stormwater is precipitation that is not harvested. Thus, harvesting rainwater prevents (quantitative) stormwater generation, and transforms stormwater from a threat (e.g., erosion, floods) to a resource (e.g., drinking water, food security) for human and environmental needs. The effective management of stormwater (i) enhances the quality of human life, (ii) sustains local biodiversity, and (iii) protects the whole environment. Thus, the failure to harvest rainwater should be considered irresponsible, if not unethical. This argument alone makes each conscientious citizen a changemaker. A number of local changemakers will organize to determine the best way to integrate overflow from individual residences to enhance the community’s liveability. This study provides a valuable consolidation of information that will facilitate the mainstreaming of rainwater harvesting as the pillar of holistic integrated water resource management.
Keywords: Climate change; Decentralized water supply; Flood mitigation; Rainwater harvesting; Zero-valent iron
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