Urban Gardener: Puan Aini Binti Zakaria

---

I first met Puan Aini at the January Permaculture Design Course (PDC) at Hulu Langat. Given her relaxed, approachable and easygoing nature, I was amazed to learn that she was actually a retired MARDI microbiologist! She has successfully put together a home rainwater harvesting system. Let’s hear what she has to say about it:

Tell me about yourself.

I am 61 years old. I was working with the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) for almost 33 years before I retired in 2011. I am a soil microbiologist by discipline and have been involved in microbiology during my early years of research. However, sometime in 1998, I got involved in organic farming research and have been active in this field ever since. I even co-authored a book on “Organic Vegetable Farming in Malaysia” with three other researchers in 2005. When I retired, I wanted more people to be aware of organic farming and its benefits. I find that the organic movement is very slow in Malaysia compared to our neighbours such as Thailand, Vietnam and the Phillippines. In the meantime, I attended permaculture courses and found that it encompasses a wider area compared to organic farming. During the course, I met an affable lady, Ms Chan Li Jin who shares the same passion with me. I joined her company, Subur Community Gardens , where we teach mostly urbanites on organic gardening. Most of our projects are centered on orphanages and health centers where we think that planting vegetables would be therapeutic as well as provide some sustainability for their daily needs.

What inspired you to start up your own rainwater harvesting system? Why do you enjoy it?

I went through a water crisis in 1997 as a result of El Nino. It was backbreaking to carry water from the bathroom to the kitchen whenever I did my cooking. At that time, I couldn’t eat out as it was expensive for us. I had five kids ranging from 3 yrs to 20 – all were good eaters!

When the water crisis subsided, I thought it would never happen again as Malaysia is blessed with heavy rainfall. During the permaculture course which I attended in January 2014, I was exposed to rainwater harvesting methods. At that time, Selangor was faced by another water crisis. I felt bad watering plants whilst people, especially those staying in high rise buildings, were having a difficult time getting water. I felt that there was an urgent need to make a rainwater harvesting system because I wanted to save water for my gardening purposes. Also, in some of the microbial preparation of nutrients to enrich plant growth, use of rainwater is advocated as microbes will not perform well in chlorinated water.

I enjoy watering the plants with rainwater as I feel that the plants love rainwater more than the processed water. Sometimes I feel that the plants response positively to rainwater. Ever watched how plants ‘dance’ during rain? They look happy whenever it rains. Now that I have a pond which I rear fish like catfish and carp, the rainwater really helps. No need to dechlorinate tap water – water from my rainwater harvesting system goes directly into the pond whenever I clean the pond.

For the uninitiated, how would you describe rainwater harvesting?

In most houses, when it rains, water falls on the roof and is collected in gutters. After which, rain will be washed into the drains and ultimately find its way to rivers and the sea. Many people don’t see the need to store water especially in a country like ours where there is plenty of water.

Water is such a precious commodity and should be used frugally. During hot weather, water in our dams recede at a rapid pace due to the process of evapotranspiration.When we have rainwater harvesting, we will minimize the use of water in our dams, so much so during the dry weather, water in the dams is still at a safe level. Just imagine if every household has rainwater harvesting! Millions of homes in the Klang valley will have sufficient rainwater to use, therefore the dams can still provide us water during the dry period.

So how do we harvest rain? Very simple! Just divert the rain water from the gutters to a cistern. The cistern has an overflow pipe at the top end so that any excess water will go through it. At the bottom end, there is a tap where the water can be used for watering and other purposes. Just after the gutter, before entering the cistern, a filter is placed so that leaves and bird droppings will not enter the system. If the cistern is big, then water can be used in the kitchen or for flushing the toilets.

What do you need for a small rainwater harvesting system at home, and how much it would cost?

My system is a modest one. I bought:

• a round poly tank about 100 gallons capacity
• 80mm diameter PVC pipe 5 meters long
• one 80mm PVC end cap
• one plastic funnel
• 1⁄2 m green wiremesh
• 1 tin PVC gum
• PVC fittings
• PVC pipes diameter 20mm
• about 70 bricks
• 10 feet of wood 1”x2”

I used about 4 meter of the 80mm PVC which I had one side of it cut horizontally. This PVC was clipped to my roof as my roof had no gutters. This replaces gutters because I find that gutters are quite expensive.

Any tips how to spend less at first?

The system cost me only RM 250. Look at the internet to see how others do it. I didn’t find many examples of tropical rainwater harvesting systems. The Western cisterns like those found in Australia are beautiful because the tanks are slim and can be placed along the walls of a house, interconnected to a number of tanks. Looks neat, but it’s expensive!

From experience, what materials should we avoid?

Avoid materials that rust and materials that exude chemicals when they get heated in the sun.

How long did it take to get your system up and running and how much time do you spend on it weekly?

It didn’t take long because I was lucky! It rained two days after the system was set up. The rain was very heavy and the tank filled up that very day. The system is self running and I am lucky I don’t have any big trees near my house, so I don’t have to clear the filter. So far the filter is not clogged. It’s been 7 months.

What would you say is the most difficult part about rainwater harvesting? What have been some of your challenges and how are you overcoming them?

The most difficult part was determining the part of the roof that would give the biggest surface area, how to reach it, where to place the tank and where to place the filter. I worried that if there was torrential rain, water from the gutter would gush out sideways and not vertically into the tank. Also, the funnel would be pushed out by the heavy rain. So far none of this has happened.

What’s your advice for rainwater harvesting beginners?

Look at several examples from the internet and homes that have it. Source out the materials. Cheaper still, arrange for a group of friends to help you out. You will enjoy this group venture especially when food and drinks are provided.

Don’t hesitate… just do it!

---

New to Cultivate Central? Click here to learn more about us. 

If you are thinking about starting your own food garden and need a constant supply of ideas and tips, follow us on our facebook page. Thanks for dropping by!