I wrote in a previous blog post how I’m loving earthbag water tanks. My fascination with these water tanks jumped up a notch after reading an article about the difficulties of building a concrete water tank. From what I’ve recently learned by visiting Vanuatu and assisting in water tank design and construction, I know earthbag water tanks are much faster, easier and lower cost to build than concrete tanks.
ferrocement tank
Ferrocement Ground Tank
What’s the best, most efficient way to build water tanks? That question has been burning in my mind since seeing the extent of water shortages firsthand on my recent trip to Vanuatu. While looking and thinking about possible solutions, I’ve found numerous good ideas on the Internet such as this underground ferrocement tank made with mortar and chicken wire. This wouldn’t work in Vanuatu and on many other islands due to the rocky soil; however, it will work in many other areas. I love the simplicity of this method.
Below Ground Ferrocement Rainwater Tank
The lowest cost soil for earth building comes from the building site itself. Dig the soil onsite and you could build a ferrocement tank below ground in the pit.