The water quality results indicated that roof
catchments that included “first flush” usually
provided safe drinking water with low organic
contents. Good quality rainwater can be collected
and stored if the rainwater harvesting system is
managed and operated efficiently. According to
a popular belief, the rainwater is so pure that it
does not require any treatment before it can be
used. Therefore, the use of filters in Jordan is not
practiced in most of the rainwater harvesting
schemes. Usually, the pipe from the roof is
directly connected to cistern. Only about 30% of
households use a precaution method of cloth to
filter the water at the entrance of the cistern.
In Jordan, all cisterns are well covered to
reduce the likelihood of mosquitoes and other
insects using the cistern as a breeding ground.
Residents may prefer to take care to prevent such
problems rather than have to take corrective
actions such as treating or removing water at a
later time. In cases where rainwater is used for
drinking and domestic uses, several simple
methods of treatment are practiced by Jordanian
households such as chlorination of the cisterns
and boiling water.