Simulating the effect of rainwater harvesting on flood mitigation: the case of Asunción, Paraguay

Simulating the effect of rainwater harvesting on flood mitigation: the case of Asunción, Paraguay | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Simulating the effect of rainwater harvesting on flood mitigation: the case of Asunción, Paraguay Annette Thiessen-Anttila, Marcelo Castier, Paula De Barros Barreto This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4244289/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 23 Oct, 2024 Read the published version in Natural Hazards → Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This work uses computer simulations to assess the effect of rainwater harvesting on the mitigation of flash floods in Asunción, Paraguay, where local rainfalls frequently cause damages, disruptions, and personal harm. Minute-by-minute rainfall data available for the year 2017 were used to select the storms for this study. Terrain, hydrographic, land cover, buildings information, and street maps were retrieved from various freely available sources. One of the hydrographic basins in the municipality of Asunción was chosen for analysis. Terrain and buildings data were merged so that the simulations predict how the built structures divert water flow. An effective rainfall equation was derived to account for the collective effect of thousands of rainwater harvesting systems (RWHS), which were assumed to be installed under different scenarios. The HEC-RAS software (Hydrologic Engineering Center River Analysis System, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) was used. Three specific locations within the simulated basin were selected for a detailed study. Two peak flow rates were observed in most scenarios: the first of them is the immediate outcome of the rainfall and the second results from the downhill water flow. According to the simulations, the RWHS delay the largest peak flow rate by a few minutes (from 3 to 21 min, depending on the case), which might guide the possible deployment of early warning systems. In a scenario of RWHS with large tanks, installed on every roof – taken as the upper limit of what could be accomplished – reductions of up to 52.2% and 73.3% in the first and second peak flow rate, respectively, were calculated under a heavy rainfall. Under a moderate rainfall, these values were 45.5% and 78.1%. If it is considered that only 50% of the roof area is connected to RWHS, with smaller storage tanks, the peak flow rate reductions are of up to 17.7% (first peak) and 17.8% (second peak) under a heavy rainfall. Under a moderate rainfall, the corresponding values were 23.1% and 40.3%. The overall conclusion is that the effect of RWHS on flood mitigation, as measured by the peak flow rate, is highly dependent on the rain intensity and location. This points out the need for detailed analyses prior to decisions about public policies that might promote the installation of RWHS. floods simulation HEC-RAS Asunci´on Full Text Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 23 Oct, 2024 Read the published version in Natural Hazards → Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 21 May, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 22 Apr, 2024 Editor invited by journal 13 Apr, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 12 Apr, 2024 First submitted to journal 11 Apr, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4244289","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":293993200,"identity":"458f2ce7-d2eb-463d-8591-59d8a90af4ed","order_by":0,"name":"Annette Thiessen-Anttila","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidad Paraguayo Alemana","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Annette","middleName":"","lastName":"Thiessen-Anttila","suffix":""},{"id":293993201,"identity":"d798d35c-00f6-4a85-8a3c-04e793e3f52e","order_by":1,"name":"Marcelo Castier","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Texas A\u0026M University at Qatar","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Marcelo","middleName":"","lastName":"Castier","suffix":""},{"id":293993202,"identity":"8a848199-81cd-434c-8b6e-485c05b1b9e1","order_by":2,"name":"Paula De Barros Barreto","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8473-8296","institution":"Universidad Paraguayo Alemana","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Paula","middleName":"De Barros","lastName":"Barreto","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-04-10 00:33:15","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4244289/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4244289/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-024-06961-y","type":"published","date":"2024-10-23T15:57:35+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":67682350,"identity":"74eb6285-ca9f-4602-a844-bbe3f485f6dc","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-28 16:13:47","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":8121690,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"NaturalHazards3.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4244289/v1_covered_94f2fc4d-b507-4a99-8725-c55b06041fba.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"Simulating the effect of rainwater harvesting on flood mitigation: the case of Asunción, Paraguay","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":true,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"natural-hazards","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"nhaz","sideBox":"Learn more about [Natural Hazards](https://www.springer.com/journal/11069)","snPcode":"11069","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/11069/3","title":"Natural Hazards","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"floods, simulation, HEC-RAS, Asunci´on","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4244289/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4244289/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"This work uses computer simulations to assess the effect of rainwater harvesting on the mitigation of flash floods in Asunción, Paraguay, where local rainfalls frequently cause damages, disruptions, and personal harm. 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