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The quest to achieve sustainability in water supply will find success when governments believe that rainwater harvesting conserves groundwater, saves energy, reduces the destructive effects of stormwater runoff and benefits plants. The aim of this paper is to highlight the relationship between the beliefs and attitudes of the local council’s employees in rainwater harvesting and their efforts in adhering to the Uniform Building By-Laws. To attain this aim, relevant qualitative data at the organisational level was compared to the employees’ beliefs, attitudes and behaviour while performing their duties. Five themes emerged from data analysis: (1) economic consideration, (2) government administration, (3) governance, (4) environment, (5) homeowners’ attitudes. It was discovered that insufficiently effective government administration and a lack of governance support resulted in substandard rainwater harvesting installation and harmed the environmental beliefs of local councils employees. The employees believed that the Principal Submitting Persons were responsible for approving substandard works when issuing the Certificate of Completion and Compliance. The findings also revealed that the local councils’ beliefs on the disadvantages of rainwater harvesting were partially based on experiences of homeowners and developers, which reflected in the authorities’ negative attitudes. Employees of a local council with strong environmental beliefs, on the other hand, recognised that their decisions would bring more beneficial changes and a better experience for stakeholders. As a result, they implemented rainwater harvesting with more fidelity and gained the confidence of both their community and the country. Positive attitudes and environmental beliefs affect how local councils behave in ways that promote water conservation and reduce reliance on non-sustainable water sources. The findings presented in this paper provide important information on beliefs and attitudes of government that can enhance the rainwater harvesting implementation fidelity.
