International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance

Newsletter n° 06 - April 2005
"Think outside the bore well"

Dear Rainwater Harvesters in 137 countries,

This edition includes information on: CSD 13; Rainwater as a vital part of IWRM; RWH tanks with houses attached in Columbia; Vegetated Rooftops; Indian tribal RWH; Stockholm International Water Institute report on water investments; and dates for your calendars.


IRHA Secretariat lobbying at Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) 13 in New York

The IRHA Secretariat was recently in New York lobbying delegates of CSD 13 as a member of the Fresh Water Caucus which is coordinated by Shiney Varghese. The advance unedited Decision adopted by the Commission maintained specific mentions of rainwater harvesting. Throughout a very intense week Margarita Pacheco, Executive Secretary & Vessela Monta, Programme Manager lobbied hard, meeting José Antonio Campo, UN Under-Secretary-General, & convincing the right people. They received valuable support from the Major Groups, Women, Youth & Indigenous Peoples & from Small Island Developing States, & from the Chair of CSD 13 himself, John Ashe! Delegates from Lesotho, Tanzania, Colombia, & Uganda spoke in favour of RWH.

RWH is mentioned in section C (ii) "Developing capacities in…rainwater harvesting and water efficiency through technology transfer and sharing best practices" and in section H, "Support more effective water demand and water resource management across all sectors, especially in the agricultural sector, by (i) using efficient irrigation and rainwater harvesting technologies." Most of the agriculture in the world is rain-fed, but there was a persistent belief at CSD 13 that rainwater harvesting meant roof catchments. Of course it is a much wider field.

Paragraph 26, which had appeared in the Chair's draft decision, unfortunately does not seem to have made it into the final Decision of CSD 13. "Water scarcity could be addressed through…more traditional techniques such as rainwater harvesting. One innovative technique is to use underground dams to capture water flowing in shallow aquifers."

The final document is available on: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/csd13/csd13.htm Why not let decision makers in your country know that rainwater is something that they should consider?

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin of the International Institute for Sustainable Development only mentioned two NGOs in Tuesday, 12th April's discussions on IWRM & Access to Basic Water Services: IRHA & the mighty WaterAid. Bulletin available on: http://www.iisd.ca/download/asc/enb05220e.txt The Friday 15th issue of "Taking Issue" the daily publication of the Sustainable Development Issues Network which came out during CSD featured a full page article on RWH. This is available on: http://www.sdissues.net/sdin/documents/TI2005-04-15.pdf


Rainwater Harvesting is a vital component of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)

The Plan of Implementation approved at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in 2002 Johannesburg, included a specific directive calling for all countries to Develop IWRM and water efficiency plans by 2005. Who in your country is putting together the national IWRM management plan? Please let us know. Countries pledged to have these prepared "by 2005" but there are delays in many countries. IRHA wants to help make these important people aware (if they are not already!) of the need to include RWH, run-off management, etc in their plans.


Rainwater Harvesting on San Andres Island, Colombia - Tanks with houses attached

San Andres Island is part of UNESCO's Seaflower Biosphere Reserve in the Caribbean. Despite an annual average rainfall of 1800 mm the San Andres islanders suffer from severe water shortages. Traditionally rainwater was the main source of potable water, but over the years "modernization" has meant that traditional water supply methods were pushed to one side in favour of groundwater. The regional environmental management agency, CORALINA, monitors groundwater quality & levels of use & has found that 70% of groundwater is polluted. Saline intrusion from over-extraction & rising sea-levels pose a serious threat that need further study.

The level of rainwater collection on the island is well below its potential. CORALINA is starting a pilot project with village households to improve RWH & maximize benefits from rainwater. Clusters of homes will share rainwater collection & distribution systems. It is hoped that low-cost, appropriate technology RWH can be used across San Andres to provide more & cleaner water. This pilot project is a participatory programme that integrates traditional knowledge with new technology to achieve sustainable development through local action. For more information contact Elizabeth Taylor, CORALINA executive director, at coralsai@telecom.com.co


Greener pastures for urban rooftops

In March, Earth Pledge, an NGO based in New York published "Green Roofs: Ecological Design & Construction". This 160-page book reviews the ecological benefits, technical requirements, & design possibilities of vegetated roofs. It examines the possibilities & benefits of green roofs through 40 case studies of exemplary projects, 100s of colour photographs, & 7 municipal case studies describing green roof development around the world. Experts in the field detail technical requirements, architectural history, & design possibilities of vegetated rooftops. http://www.earthpledge.org/publications.html

Find the benefits of green roofs on - www.lid-stormwater.net/greenroofs/greenroofs_benefits.htm
Swedish good sense from the Scandinavian Green Roof Institute on - www.greenroof.se
Lots of information is available on "The Green Roof Industry Resource Portal," - www.greenroofs.com


"The miracle of small tanks (paenghara) has shown us the way to live again."

People in the tribal village of Padia Badmal, in Sambalpur district (Orissa, India) have revived the traditional practice of building paengharas, or small tanks, to help combat drought. This simple intervention has led to improved agricultural yields, reduced outward migration and a greater sense of confidence and security among the villagers. Mrs Kalyani Pradhan brought to our attention this article available at www.infochangeindia.org/features254.jsp


Investing in Water & Sanitation Produces Substantial Economic Gains

Investments in water can be an engine for accelerated economic growth, sustainable development, improved health & reduced poverty. Those were the main messages of "Making Water a Part of Economic Development: The Economic Benefits of Improved Water Management and Services", a report released by the Stockholm International Water Institute at the UN during CSD 13. Five major arguments are :

1. Improved water supply & sanitation & water resources management boost countries' economic growth & contribute greatly to poverty reduction;
2. Economic benefits of improved water supply & in particular sanitation far outweigh investment costs;
3. In countries where water storage capacity is improved national economies are more resilient to variability in rainfall & economic growth is boosted ;
4. Investing in water is good business - improved water resources management & water supply & sanitation contribute significantly to increased productivity within economic sectors; &
5. Meeting investment needs in the water & sanitation sector is within reach of most nations.

The report, along with a companion fact sheet entitled "Driving Development by Investing in Water & Sanitation," is available on-line at http://www.siwi.org


Mark your calendar

The Folklore Project of Centre for Folklore Studies, University of Calicut at Vatakara, is holding a National Seminar on Folk Knowledge of Water Management organised in collaboration with Centre for Water Resources Development & Management, on 26th-27th May, 2005. The seminar is an attempt to explore the indigenous & folk knowledge systems of water management (including rainwater) which people have developed over hundreds of years. For more information: info@unicalfolklore.org

The 5th International Symposium on Management of Aquifer Recharge will take place in Berlin, Germany, 11th-16th June, 2005. This will focus on various types of recharge systems via river or lake banks, ponds, wells, basins, galleries, dams, tanks, dunes or dykes. Quantity & quality aspects will be highlighted. RWH should figure in topics such as managing aquifer recharge & in case studies & regional experiences. Contact Dr. Birgit Fritz on info@ismar2005.org or visit www.ismar2005.org

From 28th-30th June 2005 the Tabasco State Government is holding an International Water Conference in Tabasco, South-East Mexico, entitled "Growing Water for the Future". This will be part of the preparatory process for the 4th World Water Forum & aims to gather a large number of stakeholders from the Americas interested in advancing forum's thematic content & putting forward a regional position on water resources. For further information contact conferencia@aguatabasco.gob.mx

The 5th Brazilian Symposium on Rainwater Catchment & Management will take place from 11th-14th July, 2005, in Teresina, Piauí State. This year's theme is "Rainwater Catchment & Management for Sustainability in Rural & Urban Areas - Technologies & Construction of Citizenship". This is organised by the Brazilian Rainwater Catchment & Management Association (ABCMAC). See www.abcmac.org.br or contact johanng@abcmac.org.br

The 19th ICID Congress: "Use of Water & Land for Food & Environmental Sustainability", will take place in Beijing, China, 11th-19th September 2005. For more information contact icid@icid.org or visit the International Commission for Irrigation & Drainage site on www.icid.org

A conference on Forest Impact on Hydrological Processes & Soil Erosion will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria, 5th-8th October 2005. Contact Mrs Elena Rafailova on erafailova@yahoo.com

An international conference on "Innovation, advances & implementation of flood forecasting technology" will take place in Bergen-Tromso, Norway, 9th-13th October, 2005. Visit www.actif-ec.net for more information.

The XIIth Water Congress of IWRA: "Water for Sustainable Development - Towards Innovative Solutions" will take place in New Delhi, India, 22nd-25th November 2005. Contact Sunil Sharma on sunil@cbip.org or visit the site of the International Water Resources Association on www.iwra.siu.edu


If you would like your newsletter in French next month then just send us an e-mail.

Best regards from the IRHA Secretariat staff