If you're flushing the toilet with grey water, people should know': how China turned rain into an asset

"A worker sweeps the track at the National Stadium during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which was disrupted by heavy rain. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images The secret weapon is a network of capillary-like tubes that weave through the Bird's Nest's outer lattice, which are specifically designed to siphon away rainfall. The pipes channel rainwater into one of three underwater storage tanks, where it is filtered and prepared for recycling within the building."

"The pipes channel rainwater into one of three underwater storage tanks, where it is filtered and prepared for recycling within the building. According to the water resources ministry, at least 50% of the stadium's water needs from flushing toilets to washing the running tracks to watering the lawns can be met with the reused rainwater. In total, the water system surrounding the Bird's Nest can treat 58,000 tonnes of rainwater each year."

"The Bird's Nest is one of the most pioneering examples of China's focus on the practice known as urban rainwater harvesting (URWH), but it is not the only one. All over China, major buildings are constructed with a focus on URWH. Across the road from the Bird's Nest, the National Aquatics Centre is covered with a specially designed rainwater harvesting system that can collect approximately 10,000 tonnes of rainwater a year, equivalent to the amount used by 100 households."

Beijing's National Stadium contains a network of capillary-like tubes woven through its steel lattice to siphon rainfall into one of three underwater storage tanks. Collected rainwater is filtered and prepared for reuse, enabling the stadium to meet at least 50% of its water needs, including flushing toilets, washing running tracks, and watering lawns. The stadium's water system can treat about 58,000 tonnes of rainwater each year. Urban rainwater harvesting practices are implemented across China in major buildings. The National Aquatics Centre nearby can capture approximately 10,000 tonnes of rainwater annually, equivalent to about 100 households' usage.

Read at www.theguardian.com