International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance

Newsletter n° 21 - September 2008

bRAINstorming

"Brainstorming is a useful and popular tool that you can use to develop highly creative solutions to a problem. It is particularly useful when you need to break out of stale, established patterns of thinking, so that you can develop new ways of looking at things. This can be when you need to develop new opportunities, where you want to improve the service that you offer, or when existing approaches just aren't giving you the results you want."

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Our newsletter focuses on the activities in Rainwater Harvesting, field of the International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance (IRHA) and its partners.

Editorial

Dear Rainwater Harvesters, Readers, the IRHA Members and Non-Members,

Since 2008 was declared the International Year of Sanitation by the United Nations General Assembly, NGOs, UN agencies, donors and welfare organizations have initiated or accelerated actions to improve the sanitation disastrous situation in many parts of the world. Millions of people, by lack of knowledge as well as means, pollute their environment and empoison their water, and therefore, put their health and lives at high risk. Of course, the bell tolls first for the youngest children. The number of these lost young lives is repeated at each conference and symposium related to the Millennium Development Goals. But does this really help?

Every sensitive person whose work concerns development wonders about the best way to solve this desperate situation. It would seem that there are two eternal truths equally valid in this specific context: hard work and money. The additional question comes only afterwards: where to start from?

In our opinion, we must start by improving sanitation in public places, mainly in schools, but also in market places, urban sites, railways and bus stations, among others. Not only will people enjoy the benefits of these facilities, but they will also learn how to improve domestic facilities. The driving force behind these actions should be the local authorities, but they will not be able to achieve much if they do not have the financial support of local as well as international donors.

The private sector is the second important force in this field. Company owners and managers should be exemplary at installing decent sanitation facilities within their premises. Inspired by the Corporative Social Responsibility principles, they should also help their employees build up their own decent home toilets. They could provide them with small loans, with materials and transport at low cost; they could give them hygiene training and all these measures could only be part of their contribution. Here the driving force is composed by individuals, but the state's encouragement and control could play a decisive role.

Finally, there is the immense group of people living in a state of extreme poverty in rural areas. Here the mainspring and the only salvation can come from the NGOs devoted to give them a hand. For the action of these organizations to be successful, it should be multi-dimensional. Improvement in sanitation must work together with increased access to water, combined with agricultural programmes as well as health care. Local and national authorities, international agencies for development and evidently, donors' agencies should be the first allies of the implementing institutions. Only close collaboration and concerted efforts of all those who work in these domains can provide the so much desired success of this Millennium Development Goal.

Vessela Monta

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Topic of the month: SANITATION

Rainwater Harvesting, is it something to do with sanitation?

The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation. It was high time to realize that the Millennium Goals indicators for water and sanitation will never be reached if the whole community engaged in development issues doesn't change the gears.

The IRHA came on board with its programme "Blue Schools". Providing decent sanitation conditions in public places, and especially in schools, represents a contribution of high importance. It is easy to understand that the IRHA, working on projects for improving the conditions of life in schools, is not satisfied by only offering an access to water. In the scope of its activities one can find the construction of adequate number and types of toilets for children and staff members.

Surprisingly, we often hear people ask what rainwater harvesting has to do with sanitation. It suffices to know that:

1. Rain is water, and everybody knows how closely water supply and sanitation are linked. Rainwater doesn't need high level of purification to be used for maintenance of personal hygiene and cleanliness of sanitation premises.

2. Toilet flush, this incredibly greedy water consumer (47.7% of the total household consumption in Switzerland), is "fed" with precious, highly purified pipe borne water. In new buildings, this error in the conception of sanitation systems starts to be corrected and rainwater takes the place in flush reservoirs.

3. In areas without any or with irregular mains water supply, and where the population, for religious reasons or by tradition, practices anal washing, rainwater harvesting is a priceless ally. If there is no water, people would rather prefer not to use toilet facilities.

4. Sewage systems in thousands of cities and villages in the world are old, inadequate to the new number of users and inapt to serve correctly the population. In the time of precipitations, rainwater is added to the already overcharged sewage. Rainwater harvesting, practiced in large scale in urban areas, can discharge the city drains and prolong the lifetime of old sewages.

5. The use of collected urine from EcoSan toilets or improved latrines with evacuation of the liquid as a fertilizer is already a current practice in agriculture. Urine should be diluted with water in a ratio of one part of urine with four to five parts of water. Simple rainwater harvesting practices on the field are often the only way to provide this missing part of the fertilizer.

The arguments given below are more than enough to show how rainwater is related to sanitation. And what matters most is, at the end of the International Year of Sanitation, to help more people to enjoy a decent and hygienic life using their new sanitation facilities.

Vessela MONTA

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A Quotation

"Basic knowledge and understanding about the connection between hygiene and disease can save lives. The simple act of washing hands with soap (or ash, or earth) and water after going to the toilet is estimated to reduce diarrheal disease by a third."

WHO/UNICEF 2000 Human Waste Report. 2002

The IRHA provides each one of its "Blue Schools" with a tank so that the rainwater can be harvested directly from the roofs and used in the toilets, and also gives courses on hygiene to the children. They will consequently be able to wash their hands immediately after using the toilet facilities.

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Art & Development

The power of art contributes to the creation of a better world

Rainbowl poster

With this poster the IRHA team contributes to the International Year of Sanitation by emphasizing on the need to stop using clean drinking water for the toilets flush.

Competition: Geneva Raindrops Award 2007

The IRHA mission is to raise awareness amongst the populations of the world of the advantages offered by rainwater harvesting and to inform on the variety of technologies in this field.

With the idea of associating this goal to art, he International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance launched its first art competition in 2007 - the Geneva Raindrops Award.

Through graphic art, this competition intended to show the benefits people could have if they used rainwater. The outcome went beyond all our expectations: with Spartan means at our disposal, but with plenty of enthusiasm we were able to promote it all over the world. 26 artists from 3 continents participated in the event.

The encouraging responses from the public proved to us that such innovative initiative awakes people's attention and can make the habits of using rainwater evolve.

The jury was made up of seven members, from the IRHA staff as well as from the sponsoring companies and other Swiss institutions related to water and art. Three participants were rewarded:

The 1st prize was appreciably given to Rafi Munz from Israel, for his poster "Rain is FREE. Harvest it!!"

Aviram Meir from Israel, was awarded the 2nd prize for his poster "USE (B)RAIN!!!"

And finally, Sekhar Raghavan from India, was awarded the 3rd prize for his poster "Catch Rain. It's Free!!!!"

If we had to synthesize the idea with which these winners participated in the Contest Geneva Raindrops Award 2007, we would say: "Just think of rainwater and use it, it's so easy!"

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The IRHA Secretariat Projects

In the bucket
This section is dedicated to the IRHA projects which are ongoing, or already implemented.

Blue schools in the Himalayas, India

This project is a part of the IRHA programme " Blue Schools"

In the last issue of "bRAINstorming", we announced that in June 2008, the IRHA, together with its Indian partner, the Pan Himalayan Grassroots Development Foundation (Grassroots), had started to implement an ambitious project. We informed that it would be executed in 10 schools in the state of Himachal Pradesh, during a period of 18 months.

We also gave more detailed information about the beneficiaries of the project; we said that the villages of Moginand, Vermapapari, Kollar, Galanaghat, Basahn, Dadahu, Jamta, Panjhar, Phagu and Andheri (Ludhiana) would see their 2071 boys and 1980 girls enjoying an improved access to water and new sanitation facilities, and that the 232 teachers would be also among the direct beneficiaries.

We added that the children, helped by their parents, would plant two trees on the common lands and would receive a sapling of a fruit tree, which they would be able to see growing in their households.

Truthful to its principles, the IRHA is happy to inform you that by now it has succeeded in ensuring the building of 50 new toilets in those 10 schools.

This project is sponsored by Fondation Ensemble, by the municipality of Geneva and by two Swiss private banks based in Geneva.

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In the pipeline
This section is dedicated to the IRHA projects which are under formulation or in a process of fundraising.

Watershed Development and Blue Schools in Uttarakhand, India

In the last issue of this newsletter, we also informed that children and staff members from 8 schools in the state of Uttarakhand, India, were waiting to see their lives improved.

The IRHA, together with its Indian partner, "Pan Himalayan Grassroots Foundation" would like to implement their project which combines watershed development objectives and the principles of the Blue Schools program. 59 toilets are planned to be built up in those schools of this remote Himalayan province.

Do not children all over the world deserve decent sanitation facilities? For only 10 EUR, each child could have access to a clean double pit latrine in the school. It would be worth thinking about that!!

The project has already been formulated and has received 60% of its budget from the Fondation Ensemble. The IRHA is still looking for the missing 40% in order to set the ball rolling for it. Who else would like to come on board?

Blue schools in the North Atlantic Autonomous Region of Nicaragua

The IRHA has just completed the formulation of a large project in schools in three districts of one of the poorest regions in Nicaragua.
Read more

Rainwater harvesting in Ramakrishna centre, Lucknow, India (Uttar Pradesh)

A few years ago, the Sulabh International Academy of Environmental Sanitation (SIAES) addressed the IRHA, transferring the demand of the monks, medical staff and students-nurses from the Ramakrishna Centre in Lucknow to start a groundwater recharge action on their site.
Read more

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Events and Networking

WORLD TOILET SUMMIT & EXPO 2008

The World Toilet Summit & Expo 2008, will be held next November in Macau. This will be the biggest event of the year in the sanitation field, organized by the World Toilet Organization in support of the International Year of Sanitation declared by the General Assembly of the United Nations.

The World Toilet Summit is an annual gathering of experts with focused discussions that promote clean toilets, sanitation issues and hygiene through market-based initiatives. This year, the conference is targeted at industry players from all levels, and will cover issues that are pertinent to achieving the Millennium Development Goals on sanitation.

Read more
Web-site: www.worldtoiletevents.com

CONFERENCE ON SANITATION AND WATER - OCTOBER 2008

World Vision Australia is organising a Conference on Sanitation and Water in October 2008 in Melbourne, Australia. World Vision Australia, a part of World Vision, is an international aid and development organisation committed to the poor.

Its members have a holistic approach and work with people of all cultures, faiths and genders - recognising their physical, social, spiritual, economic and political needs - in order to achieve transformation.

Read more
Web-site: www.worldvision.com.au

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Geneva Raindrops Award

Art and development: In search of creative minds!

Geneva Raindrops Award 2008 Contest

After the great success of its first international contest Geneva Raindrops Award 2007, the International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance (IRHA) has launched the second edition of its competition: Geneva Raindrops Award 2008.

If last year the IRHA wanted to demonstrate the advantages of catching and using rainwater through graphic art, this year the awards will be given to the Best Video Films.

Participate in the competition and help the IRHA to sensitize people about the benefits of harvesting rainwater as a solution to the problems related to the lack of water around the world!

Show the world how talented you are, at the same time contributing to save the planet and ensuring a better future for humanity. Please visit our website, where you will find the rules of our Geneva Raindrops Award 2008 contest.

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The IRHA Secretariat news

Upcoming newsletter

The next issue of the IRHA "bRAINstorming" e-newsletter will deal with so important and delicate subjects as are hunger and thirst and the efforts of our worldwide community to contribute to eradicate them. The following one will be dedicated to the large experience of our colleagues in USA.

IRHA will be asking you, our newsletter readers, to contribute to the writing of our future issues. Please send your articles, photos or comments linked to the topic announced. We thank you in advance for taking the time to making your e-newsletter and helping the IRHA focus on your needs.

The new editor of the IRHA newsletter online

In our last issue, we informed you that our e-newsletter would also be available in French and Spanish and that these two new versions would also be produced by our new editor. Ms Gladys Ambort has indeed started collaborating with us and would be very pleased to reply to you in case you need to contact her.

Become a member
The IRHA members benefit from our extensive network and contribute to increasing rainwater harvesting in the world.
Become a member online (choose one of these):
- Students Membership
- Organization Membership
- Individual Members
- Supporting Friends Membership
- Private Sector Members

Subscription/unsubscription
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please send a message to:
English: newsletter-En@irha-h2o.org
French: newsletter-Fr@irha-h2o.org
Spanish: newsletter-Sp@irha-h2o.org

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