Rain water can store for direct use in tanks above ground or underground sumps or overhead tanks, this water can use directly for flushing, gardening, washing etc.

Recharged to ground through recharge pits, dug wells, bore wells, soak pits, recharge trenches, bunds etc.

While the collection of rainwater by a single household may not be significant, the impact of thousands or even millions of household rainwater storage tanks can potentially be enormous. The main components in a simple roof water collection system are the cistern itself, the piping that leads to the cistern and the appurtenances within the cistern. The materials and the degree of sophistication of the whole system largely depend on the initial capital investment. Some cost effective systems involve cisterns made with ferro-cement, etc. In some cases, the harvested rainwater may be filtered. In other cases, the rainwater may be disinfected.

When the systems are larger, the overall system can become a bit more complicated, for example rainwater collection from the roofs and grounds of institutions, storage in underground reservoirs, treatment and then use for non-potable applications.

In high-rise buildings, roofs can be designed for catchment purposes and the collected roof water can be kept in separate cisterns on the roofs for non-potable uses.

Rainwater harvesting using ground or land surface catchment areas can be a simple way of collecting rainwater. Compared to rooftop catchment techniques, ground catchment techniques provide more opportunity for collecting water from a larger surface area. By retaining the flows (including flood flows) of small creeks and streams in small storage reservoirs (on surface or underground) created by low cost (e.g., earthen) dams, this technology can meet water demands during dry periods. There is a possibility of high rates of water loss due to infiltration into the ground, and because of the often marginal quality of the water collected, this technique is mainly suitable for storing water for agricultural purposes.

The surface runoff collected in storm water ponds/reservoirs from urban areas is subject to a wide variety of contaminants. Keeping these catchments clean is of primary importance, and hence the cost of water pollution control can be considerable.