Effects of climate change on urban rainwater harvesting in Taipei City, Taiwan

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International Journal of Development Research

Effects of climate change on urban rainwater harvesting in Taipei City, Taiwan

Abstract: 

Cities are becoming increasingly vulnerable to water related issues due to rapid urbanization, installation of complex infrastructure, and changes in the rainfall patterns. This study aims at assessing the impacts of climate change on rainwater harvesting systems (RWH) at the tropical urban city Taipei, Taiwan. The future climate change projections are downscaled from global circulation models to urban catchment scale using the Long Ashton Research Station Weather Generator (LARS-WG) of the Intergovernmental panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) - coupled with inter comparison project (CMIP3) model results. Historical rainfall data from 1981- 2010 is used to simulate long-term future rainfall data from 2011-2099. The percentage change of the rainfall is calculated. The rainfall patterns are analysed based on the daily, monthly, seasonal and annual time scales. Water requirements are calculated based on the selected scenario types. Rainfall and water demand data are incorporated into a water balance model. Climate change impacts for the selected RWH scenarios are calculated based on the water security analysis for each scenario. Analysis of the future rainfall data of Taipei reveals that there will be more extreme rainfall and rainfall events than before. Most of the selected global circulation models in this study predict that there will be more rainfall towards the end of this century (2080-2099). However, according to the A1B emission scenario, the long-term overall annual rainfall of Taipei shows a decreasing trend within this century. Residential RWH systems will be more affected than non-residential systems. RWH systems in Taipei should include potential future climate changes in their future design and planning and be prepared for excess runoff and additional measures against potential overflow and urban floods.

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