KEY POINTS:
As a forecast drought begins to bite in many parts of New Zealand, initiatives are being taken to minimise the impact.
A drought on the East Coast is estimated to have cost hundreds of millions of dollars and the effects on the rural sector are predicted to continue
until the end of 2009.
But, with a hot summer forecast, urban areas are also being urged to conserve water, and water restrictions are being enforced around the country.
Massey University roof water researcher Stan Abbott said he predicted New Zealanders would increasingly become fully or partly reliant on water collected from their roof.
One in 10 people relied on roof water for drinking - most in rural, coastal and island areas, but Mr Abbott said that was likely to increase with the growth in lifestyle living.
"The use of alternative water sources such as roof-collected rainwater is definitely part of the solution to diminishing water resources."
He said local authorities were encouraging householders in urban areas to install rainwater tanks, both to conserve mains supplies and to reduce the adverse effects of storm water runoff and flood risks.
Some offered rebates to householders fitting tanks to existing houses.
"In Australia, which has been plagued by worsening droughts, there is huge demand for roof-collected rainwater," Mr Abbott said.
"Rainwater is becoming an important supplement to mains water supplies in urban areas. Authorities are encouraging more Australians to use rainwater, and in the past 18 months 147,000 rainwater tanks have been installed in Queensland alone."
Residents on Wellington's Kapiti Coast are being subjected to water limits from this weekend.
District Council chief executive Leigh Halstead said a dry winter and spring meant water tables were low and usage was up - a situation that was similar in many districts around the country.
Mr Halstead said the council had decided that from February all new houses built in Kapiti must have rainwater tanks or combinations of water tanks and greywater systems to provide alternative supplies for use in gardens and other non-drinking applications.
- NZPA