International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance

Newsletter n° 04 - February 2005

Dear Rainwater Harvesters,

The IRHA newsletter is now distributed to over 745 people or organisations in 73 countries, & the number is rising. You can now read the newsletter in French or in Spanish.

UN conference adopts 10-year plan for natural hazards

The UN World Conference on Disaster Reduction, concluded in Kobe, Japan, on 22nd January with the adoption of a 10-year plan to combat natural disasters. The "Hyogo Framework for Action: 2005 - 2015" calls upon countries to put disaster management at the centre of national policies, to improve the capacity of disaster-prone countries to respond to risk, and to invest in disaster preparedness.

An International Early Warning Programme (IEWP) was launched at the meeting to improve resilience to all types of natural hazards including droughts, wild-land fires, floods, typhoons, hurricanes, landslides, volcanic eruption & tsunamis. This UN initiative will emphasize the importance of people-centred early warning systems & community education about disaster preparedness.

Held less than a month after the Asian tsunami disaster that claimed more than 220,000 lives, the conference organized by the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN-ISDR), also adopted a declaration indelibly linking disaster reduction, sustainable development & poverty alleviation. IRHA believes that rainwater harvesting fits perfectly in this declaration & is actively engaged in promoting RWH as a disaster reduction strategy.

Read the full press release: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=13101&Cr=tsunami&Cr1=
Find out more at the Platform for the Promotion of Early Warning (PPEW) official website: http://www.unisdr.org/ppew


International Flood Initiative launched at World Conference on Disaster Reduction (18-22 January. Kobe, Japan)

A new inter-agency initiative aimed at minimizing loss of life & reducing damage caused by floods was launched the 19 January by UNESCO. The project headquarters will be at a planned Centre for Water Hazard & Risk Management (CHARM) hosted by the Public Works Research Institute in Tsukuba, Japan. "This new initiative is set to integrate the scientific, operational, educational & public awareness raising aspects of flood management, including the social response & communication dimensions of flooding & related disaster preparedness," said Mr Matsuura, launching the project during a special session devoted to the issue at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe


Rainwater Harvesting as an Urban Disaster Reduction Strategy

On 21st & 22nd January IRHA Secretariat in Geneva welcomed Professor Mooyoung Han (National University Seoul / President of Korean Rainwater Catchment Systems Association / Chairman of the International Water Association Rainwater Harvesting Task Force) & Mr Byoung Hyo Kwon (Chief of the Architecture Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG)). They presented papers on urban RWH legislation for flood & disaster reduction to UNEP, diplomatic mission & Geneva water authority representatives. Where the SMG goes, other Korean cities usually follow so we can look forward to rainwater legislation across the country. Meetings were also held with UN-ISDR & the World Meteorological Organization.


Subsidies, Tax Exemptions & Legislation for Rainwater Harvesting

Kobe City started a 3-year programme for subsidizing the purchase of tanks for holding rainwater on a trial basis in 2003, & halfway through the 2nd year it has already been deluged with applications for more units than had been planned for. The high level of citizen interest in obtaining rainwater tanks has amazed the city officers in charge of the programme.
http://www.japanfs.org/db/database.cgi?cmd=dp&num=812&UserNum=&Pass=&AdminPass=&dp=data_e.html

In Texas RWH equipment is free of sales tax, due to water being relatively scarce in the State. In Seoul RWH equipment is mandatory on new buildings with over 5000m2 of roof, due to increasing rainfall making heavy demands on existing sewerage systems.


Mark your calendar

"Efficient 2005", 3rd International Conference on Efficient Use & Management of Water, takes place from 14th-18th March in Santiago, Chile. Includes presentations on: Climate change, disaster & flood management; Coping with droughts & shortages; Water collection, reuse & recycling strategies. Contact scientific@efficient2005.com or see www.efficient2005.com

2nd Alternative World Water Forum will be held in Geneva 17th-20th March, 2005. FAME 2005's objectives are: to develop & promote institutions & public policy which provide access to potable water for all human beings; to develop democratic, socially accountable & sustainable management of water resources. IRHA will be running a RWH workshop. See www.fame2005.org

The 3rd International Conference on Water Resources Management will take place in the Algarve, Portugal, from 11th-13th April, 2005. For more information contact
adarcy-burt@wessex.ac.uk or visit www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2005/waterresources05/index.html Rainwater as a resource seems to be ignored with a focus on ground & surface water. IRHA hopes that Integrated Water Resources Management professionals will begin to take rainwater into consideration.

The EWRI World Water & Environmental Resources Congress will take place from 15th-19th May, 2005, in Anchorage, Alaska, USA. Contact donphelps@aol.com or visit www.asce.org/conferences/ewri05 You can also visit the Environmental & Water Resources Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers web site at www.ewrinstitute.org It's a huge congress. There is some research on storm water & wet weather issues, but rainwater gets neglected again.

The Third International Symposium on Flood Defence - "Floods, from Defence to Management", will take place in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, from 25th-27th May, 2005. Contact infor@routine-nijmegen.nl or visit www.isfd3.nl


New Look IRHA Web Site

Check it out on www.irha-h2o.org Thanks to Sebastien Stern for the new look. You can also find back issues of the IRHA newsletter from November 2004. If you would like your newsletter in another language next month then just send us an e-mail.

Best regards from the IRHA Secretariat staff