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.”

http://www.mindtools.com/brainstm.html

 


Newsletter no. 19 - July 2006

 

Dear Rainwater Harvesters,

Please find RWH news and information from across the globe.

 

IRHA Member Profiles

ASIA

 

Papers, Presentations and Publications

 

 

 

Events, courses and conferences

 

 

 

IRHA Member Profiles

 

Safe Water International

 

New IRHA member Safe Water International (SWI) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in California, USA. SWI’s mission is to identify clean drinking water solutions for the poorest rural areas of the world and to promote local marketplace involvement in delivering those solutions. Its objectives are to: identify and promote drinking water purification products and systems that have utility and acceptance in poor rural areas; investigate the most effective means of distribution of candidate systems and products in rural localities of developing countries; and promote the manufacture and distribution of successfully demonstrated solutions through contacts with local, national, and international manufacturers, and through distribution of technical information relating to marketable products and technologies. This strategy is carried out by surveys and assessment, demonstration programmes and then technology transfer.

 

SWI is currently running projects in Bolivia, Mexico and Malawi and recognizes RWH as an appropriate, low cost, water supply technique for poor rural communities. You can find out more about SWI’s work on: http://www.safewaterintl.org/  

 

 

Population and Community Development Association (PDA), Thailand

 

One of  IRHA's first members was PDA; a non-government, non-profit organization committed to serving Thailand’s rural poor. It operates a wide variety of programmes designed to serve and assist the rural poor of Thailand. Apart from water resources and sanitation, these programmes cover such diverse activities as free vasectomies, income generation programmes at village level, forest replanting schemes, vegetable banks, industry relocation into rural areas, mobile health clinics, environmental education programmes, and a democracy project.

 

PDA has provided technologically appropriate water storage and environmental sanitation systems to needy villagers in Northeast Thailand. These activities include the provision of drinking water by construction village-level tap water systems and household rain water collection receptacles (tanks and jars). The project areas are in some of the driest regions of Thailand, and parts which have experienced drought for the last few years. The infrastructure developed by PDA adds to the efforts being made by Thai government agencies to facilitate the collection and use of clean water, and does so in areas that are difficult to reach or that have been overlooked by other schemes.

 

PDA director, Wilas Lohitkul, was invited to participate in IRHA’s stand at Geneva’s sustainable development fair, S-Dev05. He presented posters of PDA’s rainwater harvesting work. For more details on PDA’s work visit: http://www.pda.or.th/eng/ .

 

 

IRHA Membership

 

For more than 3 years IRHA has been increasingly acknowledged as a unifying & influential voice in the field of RWH. It has established relationships with many RWH organisations, NGOs, CSOs, UN agencies, international & government agencies, companies & individuals worldwide.

 

Please go to http://www.irha-h2o.org & click on the link to membership. You can now join quickly, easily and safely via PayPal with your credit card. With your help IRHA will continue to put RWH on the sustainable development agenda; to exchange ideas & experience; to influence policy at the international, national & local levels; to provide a vehicle for creating partnerships & to promote a globally representative approach, allowing regional & other variety.

 

 

Akash Ganga and Rainwater Harvesting Promotion in India

 

In many parts of the Indian city of Chennai, the traditional wells dried up years ago. People then drilled deep and installed bore wells. Some of these bore wells go as deep as 200 feet and more to find water. How long could this go on without replenishing the water sources? In July 2001 Akash Ganga started as a grass-roots citizen project to encourage and urge the people of Chennai to harvest rainwater from their roofs and install percolation pits for groundwater recharge. Decision makers were soon convinced and RWH was made obligatory on all buildings in the city.

 

Next, Akash Ganga turned its attention to the state of Tamil Nadu (population 50 million). With Chennai, the state capital, as an excellent pilot and model project to show state decision makers, in July 2003 Tamil Nadu became the first Indian state to require its resident to harvest rainwater. Many other States in India are following the process established in Tamil Nadu. Often RWH regulations are passed for new buildings, however this exempts almost 98% of the old buildings, thereby making the new laws relatively ineffective.

 

In June 2005, Somnath Chatterjee, the Speaker of the Indian Parliament visited Chicago, USA. A group including Ram Krishnan, of St.Paul, Minnesota, appealed to him to encourage rainwater harvesting in Parliament, to teach the 400 plus Members of Parliament about RWH, and to ask every MP to install RWH in their constituency. The Speaker’s official residence now harvests rainwater and the President of India’s official residence has been doing so for some years.

 

Akash Ganga co-organised the successful November 2005 International Rainwater Catchment Systems Association conference in Delhi, along with the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council and Action for Food Production.

 

On the 18th May and on the 12th July the Consultative Committee on Water Resources of the Indian Parliament met to specifically discuss rainwater harvesting. Akash Ganga is continuing to promote RWH and now its goal is to have 20% of all buildings in India install RWH systems by the end of 2007.

 

Akash Ganga also runs the Rain Centre as a model house combining all forms of RWH relevant to Chennai. See: http://www.raincentre.org/

 

For Akash Ganga’s India-centric index of first information on rainwater harvesting visit:

http://akash-ganga-rwh.com/RWH/WaterHarvesting.html

 

For an interactive and India-centric RWH e-learning experience, visit:

http://adshare.adayana.net/suneer/index.htm
 

 

Artificial Rain Production in Vietnam by 2010

 

A team of researchers lead by Vu Thanh Ca of the Vietnamese Meteorological and Hydrological Institute affirm that by 2010 they will have worked out a method for artificially producing rain. The team is currently gathering and analysing meteorological, precipitation and cloud-characteristic data to help them determine the necessary conditions for rain formation in Vietnam and the best practice for inducing precipitation artificially.

 

From 2007 to 2009, the scientists will carry out small-scale, experimental, artificial rain production in North Vietnam with the aim of perfecting their technique. According to Vu Thanh Ca, the experimental zone brings together all the conditions necessary for a successful trial project, including many years of meteorological data and statistics. The zone also possesses a network of weather stations together with some weather radars which the team can put to good use. From 2010 they will be able to apply their method country-wide in an effort aid national development needs.

 

Ordinarily, precipitation occurs when the ice crystals contained in clouds are heated to the point at which they form water droplets large enough to set off rain. Dry ice, because of its very low temperature, brings about a sudden condensation of water vapour in a cloud and produces a large quantity of ice crystals. Silver iodide, which crystallises in a very similar way to ice, can also bring about the formation of water droplets from the water vapour in the cloud. The solution comes from seeding the necessary chemicals into the top part of the clouds and thus artificially inducing rain.

 

Other methods consist of dispersing hygroscopic substances such as salt (water vapour clings to the tiny particles to form the start of a raindrop) or even fine water droplets inside the cloud itself, just big enough to set of the production of raindrops in a chain reaction.

 

The project has many positive aspects, first and foremost being that production is “cheap”, according to Vu Thanh Ca. One cubic metre of rainwater would cost between 20 and 30 dongs (1/5 of 1 US cent). Also, the chemicals used to artificially provoke precipitation have no negative effects on either the environment or human health. The team is however, being patient and reserved. Vietnam certainly needs better water resources for its development needs, but whatever the technical prowess of the scientists, if the necessary meteorological and atmospheric conditions do not form the right types of clouds in the first place then they cannot be made to give up their moisture.

 

For the full story in French, visit: http://lecourrier.vnagency.com.vn/default.asp?CATEGORY_ID=16&NEWSPAPER_ID=40&TOPIC_ID=52&REPLY_ID=35301 .

 

 

Time to Save Rainwater in Beijing

From the China Daily 14 April 2006

 

Every drop of water matters to Beijing, a city that has battled drought for the past seven years. The city's rainwater target is an inspiration that is both commendable and workable. With the high-rainfall season just around the corner, Beijing's water management department called on Tuesday for rainwater to be harvested. Every resident needs to lend a hand, even though it was a call to all work units in the city.

 

The serious dearth of water has turned out to be a bottleneck in the capital's social and economic development. Recent summers have been dry enough for the local government to call for voluntary and sometimes mandatory water use restrictions. The call to harvest rainwater, issued just before summer, serves as a reminder that every drop of water should be treasured, and that it is time to take action.

 

Backing the rainwater-harvesting idea are Beijing's seven departments dealing with city planning, landscaping, construction, rural affairs and environmental protection. But broad participation is needed if the idea is to really make a difference. If this approach is taken, rainfall of 230 million cubic metres will be available for the city. This is a free and clean gift from Mother Nature. The city has built 55 structures, which can store 1.25 million cubic metres of water. Relatively abundant rainfall visits Beijing in summer, while there is less water to fill the reservoirs and rivers in the other three seasons.

 

A close examination of residential water use shows there are plenty of places that rainwater can be harvested to keep gardens green and local lakes full of fish during times of low rainfall. The idea could be really sensible as long as it is accepted by Beijingers and supported by rainwater harvesting techniques. In the ordinary home, the easiest place to begin is by placing a rain barrel under each rainwater spout. The rainwater can be used to flush toilets and water flowers, grass and trees.

 

If possible, rainwater harvesting on a residential level should be made a mandatory part of building codes.

For more information about water resources in China, see:  http://www.mwr.gov.cn/english1/about.asp .

 

 

International Expert Consultative Meeting on Drought Risk Reduction

 

This meeting, co-organized by the Government of China (as one of the world’s main drought-affected countries) and the U.N. International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) secretariat (as an international focal point on disaster risk reduction), took place in Beijing, 27-29 June. Its aims were to build on the momentum gained in drought risk reduction, discuss a related framework for action and identify ways for its implementation in drought affected countries, thus contributing to improving drought resilience of nations and communities.

 

Over the last two years the Government of China and ISDR have built a close partnership to promote drought risk reduction globally and building on the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-15, they have been able to offer a platform for policy makers to get together to discuss the paradigm shift from disaster response to disaster risk reduction. The meeting was also the signaled the kick-off for an International Centre for Drought Risk Reduction to be established as a result of the ISDR and Chinese Government partnership.

 

Brazilian consultant and IRHA steering committee member, Adelia Branco, took part in this meeting and delivered a presentation entitled “Participatory Mitigation Measures: The Case of Communities, Women and NGOs in the Brazilian Semi-Arid Region”. Her presentation highlighted the importance of rainwater harvesting as a major drought mitigation measure. This was done using the Million Cisterns Programme being implemented in the Brazilian Semi-Arid Region as an example.

 

Together with some thirty experts from Asia-Pacific, Africa, Europe and Latin and North America, the discussions focused on four themes:

  

Papers, Presentations and Publications

 

People Perception and Acceptance of Rainwater Harvesting in a Coastal Area in Bangladesh

 

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is one of the feasible options of fresh water sources in the coastal areas of Bangladesh and recently a lot of initiatives and programmes have been undertaken to promote and install RWH systems both in the coastal and arsenic affected areas of the country. People perception and acceptance of RWH in a coastal area was assessed through a detailed questionnaire survey. This provides useful information regarding the knowledge and awareness of key issues related to water supply, purposes of water use, availability from the existing sources RWH techniques and water useage, types of roof material used on local houses, and problems related to safe drinking water in the study area. 168 randomly selected persons were interviewed, representing different groups such as teachers, farmers, caretakers and housewives. From the survey it reveals that harvested rainwater is the preferred water source for drinking and cooking. A high proportion of users expressed their satisfaction with RWH systems in their communities and user-involvement in operation and maintenance, which indicated high community interest and acceptance of RWH in the study area.

 

The full paper by Md. Rezaul Karim (Dept. of Civil Engineering, Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Khulna 9203, Bangladesh), and Anwara Begum Shelly and Michel Biswas (Caritas) will soon be available as a pdf on:  http://www.irha-h2o.org .

 

 

Bushfires and tank rainwater quality: A cause for concern?

 

In early 2003, after a prolonged drought period, extensive bushfires occurred in the east of the State of Victoria (Australia) affecting 1.5 million hectares of land. At the time, smoke and ash from bushfires, settling on roofs, contained pollutants that could potentially contaminate rainwater collected and stored in tanks for domestic use. The major concerns include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from incomplete combustion of organic matter and arsenic burnt wood treated with copper chrome arsenate. An increase in microbial contamination through altered nutrient levels was also hypothesized.

 

A pilot study of 49 rainwater tank owners was undertaken in north-east Victoria. A rainwater tank sample was taken and analysed for a variety of parameters including organic compounds, microbiological indicators, metals, nutrients and physico-chemical parameters. A survey was administered concurrently. A number of results were outside the Australian Drinking Water Guideline (ADWG) values for metals and microbiological indicator organisms, but not for any tested organic compounds. PAHs and arsenic are unlikely to be elevated in rainwater tanks as a result of bushfires, but cadmium may be of concern.

 

The full paper by Jean Spinks, Suzanne Phillips, Priscilla Robinson and Paul Van Buynder will appear in the International Water Association Publishing “Journal of Water and Health”. It is available to subscribers or on a pay per view basis on:

http://www.iwaponline.com/jwh/004/jwh0040021.htm .

 

 

Water quality of rooftop rainwater harvesting systems: a review

 

There has been a growing interest, especially in developing countries, in rooftop rainwater harvesting as an alternative source of drinking water. This paper reviews the available information on the water quality of rooftop rainwater harvesting systems. Various factors that affect the physico-chemical and microbiological quality of harvested water are discussed. Different contaminants including heavy metals and trace organic pollutants in the roof runoff reported from different parts of the world are compared. The review shows that the quality of harvested water from roof catchments often does not meet the drinking-water guideline values.

 

Most of the studies reveal that harvested water is heavily contaminated microbiologically by a variety of indicator and pathogenic organisms unless special care is taken during collection and storage of rainwater. Heavy metals and trace organics could also pose problems in some cases. The review thus indicates that the purity of rainwater harvested from rooftops should not be taken for granted, and analysis of the harvested water especially for microbiological contamination should be undertaken. Appropriate treatment of collected rainwater would be necessary to make the harvested rainwater fit for drinking. The review also shows the need for further research on proper design and maintenance strategies to minimise contamination of roof-collected rainwater supplies.

 

The full paper by V. Meera and M. Mansoor Ahammed, Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi, 682 022, India, appears in the International Water Association Publishing “Journal of Water Research and Technologies”. It is available to subscribers or on a pay per view basis on: http://www.iwaponline.com/jws/055/jws0550257.htm

 

 

The Right to Water in National Legislations

Although water is vital for life, there are still States which oppose the recognition of the right to water as a human right. Beyond the official rhetoric of international conferences, all States take actions to meet the water needs of their citizens and adopt laws to give access to water supply and sanitation. Henri Smets' new book on “The Right to Water in National Legislations” seeks to identify what the components of the right to water should be and exposes the rights and duties taken from existing laws in various countries. It shows that France, which did not officially support the right to water at the time this book was written, had in fact implemented most of its components. Pdf format downloads of this book are available in English and in French from: http://www.academie-eau.org/article.php3?id_article=173&recalcul=oui .

 

The Académie de l’eau (or Water Academy) was created in 1993 as a joint initiative between the French Ministry of the Environment and the six national river basin committees. Its mission is to act as a platform for forward-looking and interdisciplinary reflection on water resources management. Henri Smets is also a member of the European Council on Environmental Law.

 

 

Rainwater Harvesting: A solution to increasing water shortages in the UK?

 

Average annual water use in the UK is 55m3 per person, but although the UK is considered a rainy and foggy country, its 2440m3 of available water per head of population classifies it as a country with insufficient water! The bulk of the population lives in areas where rainfall is just 600-800mm per year. As 55% of treated water is used in households the UK government, under its Sustainable Building Strategy, suggests that a 25% reduction in potable water use in new buildings is necessary. This 25% reduction can be partly met by efficient appliances, but the remainder will need to be met by other means. Rainwater harvesting is seen as the most likely option.

 

This paper concludes that with drier summers and increasing development predicted in the south and east of England over the next few years, demand has to be reduced as part of the efforts to achieve sustainable water supply. Rainwater harvesting can be seen as an important method in reducing requirements for potable water and storm water flows.

 

Cath Hassell, who has been involved with the plumbing industry for over 25 years and in environmental building for 8 years, set up ech2o, an environmental consultancy, in 2002. Among her specialisations are. Sustainable urban drainage systems, rainwater harvesting, grey water recycling, water efficient appliances, compost toilets and constructed wetlands. See: http://ech2o.atspace.com/PDFs/DelhiAbstract.pdf

 

 

“More rain harvesting, please” – Leader from the newsletter of the Green Building Press, UK


The recent water management debate in the House of Lords was another reminder that the water-supply situation is in danger of undermining strategic development planning for the south-east of England. Yet ironically, no single commentator has homed-in on the most straightforward and cost-effective way of tackling this problem – namely a return to the once common practice of rainwater harvesting, say the UK Rainwater Harvesting Association (UK-RHA).

 

Modern rainwater harvesting systems collect water that falls onto the roof of a property for subsequent use in non-potable applications, such as toilet flushing, clothes washing machines, car washing and garden watering. A domestic rainwater harvesting system can reduce mains-water consumption by around 50%.

 

UK-RHA say systems are already in use on major housing developments around the UK, but do not seem to be featuring in debates surrounding the areas worst affected by water shortages. Where used, rainwater harvesting systems have been widely welcomed by Planning and Building Control Officers.

 

The systems are at their most cost-effective when used on commercial and public buildings where there is a combination of large roof area and a high consumption of non-drinking water. Washing of fleet vehicles for example, is a costly process that wastes the mains water which has been purified to a high standard. Using harvested rainwater instead makes excellent commercial and environmental sense.

 

Rainwater harvesting systems intercept water at the point of subsequent use; they do so without significant impact on the water which remains available to water-courses and aquifers. During heavy downpours, rainwater harvesting systems have an added benefit in helping to alleviate flood-risks by easing flows into the storm-water management grid.

 

For more information visit www.ukrha.org, or ring Terry Nash: +41-(0)1636-894900 UK-RHA spokesperson & rainwater harvesting specialist. Also see paper by Cath Hassell, above.

 


Correction

 

The best page to view French legislation concerning RWH (in French) is on: http://www.aquavalor.fr/legislation.htm .

 

By 22 June 2006, a total 23 mainland French Departments had imposed water use restrictions (as against 15 on 15 June). These restrictions have been put in place so as to avoid potable water supply interruptions. The new restrictions cover Poitou-Charentes (where RWH is promoted), areas north and east of the Paris region, and also Aquitaine. These restrictions could be reinforced should there be a absence of significant precipitation, but the situation is a little better than at the same period last year. Risks of severe drought have not been avoided.

 

 

CENN – a new partner for distributing “bRAINstorming”

 

CENN - Caucasus Environmental NGO Network is a non-governmental, non-profit organization directed towards regional cooperation by means of improved communication among the environmental organizations in the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, and partly Russia and Turkey).

 

CENN will be providing a brief introduction to the newsletter and link to download a pdf version of bRAINstorming. This means that another 9,000 subscribers will have access to information about rainwater harvesting. For more information visit: http://www.cenn.org .

 

 

Events, Courses and Conferences

 

5th International Symposium on the Agricultural Environment, “Agricultural Constraints within the Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Continuum” will take place in Ghent, Belgium, 4-7 September 2006. In order for sustainable agricultural systems to meet the rising demands for food production, environmental impacts should be considered in addition to economic and social benefits. The pressure and impacts of agricultural and horticultural activities on the environment in terms of soil, plant and atmosphere need to be controlled. Some of the topics to be addressed in this symposium are as follows: the role of conservation agriculture for sustainable farming; contamination of the soil-water-atmosphere continuum in agricultural areas; desertification and land degradation in agricultural ecosystems. Organised by the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, you can contact Dr. Donald Gabriels on: donald.gabriels@UGent.be or visit http://www.soilman.ugent.be/agroenviron/index.html .

 

 

An “International Conference on Water, Ecosystems and Sustainable Development in Arid and Semi-Arid Zones” will take place in Urumqi, China, 9-15 October 2006.  In arid and semi-arid zones the question of water resources, and of how to conserve and use them, is a major issue. For thousands of years, societies living in these vulnerable areas have been obliged to accumulate knowledge and develop techniques adapted to their sometimes parlous circumstances. Due to demographic growth, water resources are coming under increasing pressure, a situation which is creating new tensions that need to be urgently studied. In order to examine the issues concerning access to water in arid and semi-arid zones and propose suitable sustainable development projects it is essential to revisit the heritage and experiences of the communities who live in these areas.  The conference is organized around the 4 major themes of: water and environment; agricultural practices;
water and civilization; and issues and perspectives for the future.  It is jointly organised by Xinjiang University, China; University of Tehran, Iran; Practical School for High Studies, France. Contact Béatrice Argant on: watarid@ephe.sorbonne.fr or visit: http://www.ephe.sorbonne.fr/watarid/watarid_en.htm

 

 

The 10th Southern and Eastern Africa Rainwater Network (SEARNET) conference on rainwater harvesting and management in Africa will take place in Mombasa, Kenya, 4-8 December 2006. Organised in collaboration with the Kenyan Rainwater Association (KRA), the conference is designed to facilitate the sharing of experiences in RWH and management through the presentation of technical papers and posters on planning, research and development activities. This year’s theme will be “Rainwater management for disaster mitigation and sustainable development”, with sub-themes including: institutional capacity building for rainwater management; urban and peri-urban RWH; agricultural water management; the role of RWH in conflict resolution; RWH for environmental conservation and management; RWH as a coping strategy for climate change.

The deadline for abstracts is close – 31 July. For full information on fees, location, etc., contact KRA secretariat on: gharp@wananchi.com or visit: http://www.gharainwater.org . Alternatively, contact SEARNET secretariat on: searnet@cgiar.org or visit: http://www.searnet.org .

 

For a full list of events, visit: http://www.irha-h2o.org/events.html .

 

 

Swiss World Cup Heroes benefit from Rainwater Harvesting…but not into the quarter-finals

Water conservation was a core component of the Green Goal programme set up by the organisers of the 2006 Football World Cup in Germany. The programme aimed to reduce the competitions impact on the environment and was implemented by FIFA, UNEP and the German government.

 

An estimated 40,000 cubic metres of water was needed to stage the World Cup. One of Green Goal's targets was to reduce water consumption in the 12 football stadiums by 20%. A fifth of the normal requirement was covered by harvesting rainwater. Underground cisterns collected water from training facilities, stadium roofs, paths and concourses. Parking facilities and green spaces were fitted with latticed mats or so-called grassed gravel and concrete paving to improve drainage of rainwater.

Dry urinals were installed in four stadiums. Most of the stadiums have low-flush (6 litres or less) toilets. None of this helped Switzerland, of course, knocked out by the Ukraine in the last 16. We were robbed! See: http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/  .

 

 
Thank you for the continuing positive comments & feedback on the newsletter. Please do not hesitate to send us news, articles & new subscribers.

 

This newsletter has been sent to:

- over 2,600 individuals & organizations in the IRHA network;

- over 9,000 individuals & organizations in the Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (www.cenn.org )

- over 3,500 readers of the International Institute for Sustainable Development - IISD Reporting Services Water-L list (www.iisd.ca);

- over 3,000 readers of Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy (www.itap.org);

- over 500 members of Nepal’s NGO Forum (www.ngoforum.np);

- & two very activeYahoo.com rainwater discussion groups

 

Supported by the Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation


 

 

IRHA ● Maison Internationale de l’Environnement II ● Chemin de Balexert 7-9 ● CH-1219 Châtelaine ● Switzerland

Tel:+41 22 797 41 57  ● +41 22 797 41 58  ● Fax: +41 22 797 41 59

E-mail: secretariat@irha-h2o.org  ●  Web site:  www.irha-h2o.org



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