In this newsletter:

Global Vision International

Summary of GVIs operations
in Fiji in 2012
RainWater Cambodia
A progress summary of
RWCs Clean Water Supply,
Sanitation and Hygiene and
Development WASH
Infrastructure programmes
Organisations in pictures
Snapshots of some of the
work done by GVI, RWC and
JBF
Jal Bhagirathi Foundation
Two articles from JBF
covering their water
management and sanitation
work in 2012

N EWSLETTER N O 48 N OVEMBER 2012

Our newsletter focuses on all activities concerning rainwater harvesting, the
International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance (IRHA) and its partners

This months topic:

Activities of the IRHA Members in 2012

Editorial
Dear Rainwater Harvesters, Readers, IRHA Members and Friends,

Why I wanted to become an

IRHA Member
Mr Panigrahi writes about
why he joined the IRHA
network

An important area of our work is to strengthen and empower the global movement of
rainwater harvesters. One of the ways we do this is through our network of institutions,
organisations, individuals and the private sector, all of which are involved in the field of
rainwater harvesting, or more generally in water and development. By becoming IRHA
Members, they help us increase the knowledge and use of rainwater harvesting around the
world.

IRHA news and activities

News about our 10th
anniversary, a meeting with
Ambassadors and another
new Blue Schools project
under formulation

For this edition of bRAINstorming, we are catching up with some of our Organisation
Members and seeing what they have achieved in 2012. We currently have 40 Organisation
Members from 24 countries, ranging from the USA to Fiji and from Nepal to Ghana. These
organisations work in a variety of sectors, including water, sanitation, development, health
and agriculture.

Contact
International Rainwater
Harvesting Alliance
International Environment
House 2,
Chemin de Balexert,
1st Floor,
1219 Chtelaine,
Geneva, Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0)22 797 4157
Editor
Hannah Price
hannah@irha-h2o.org
French Translator
Mafalda Tudal

Follow the IRHA:

Three organisations - Global Vision International (Fiji), RainWater Cambodia and Jal
Bhagirathi Foundation (India) - have kindly provided articles and some beautiful
photographs for this newsletter. You will see that these three organisations have been
working hard this year; installing rainwater harvesting systems and providing training and
education on health and hygiene.
Along with organisations, we also have a number of Individual Members. These members
either work or are interested in rainwater harvesting, they include students, professors,
professionals and people who have installed their own rainwater harvesting system. Our
newest member, Mr Panigrahi, a Senior Hydrogeologist and Rainwater Harvesting Expert,
has provided a short article about why he was interested in becoming an IRHA Member. We
are delighted to welcome Mr Panigrahi as into our network, as his knowledge and experience
of rainwater harvesting will be extremely valuable to our mission.
We hope you enjoy finding out a little more about our members - and seeing all the great
work that they do! If you are interested in joining our network, and helping us to increase
the use of rainwater harvesting around the world, please dont hesitate to get in touch.
Look out for our last newsletter of 2012, which will be released in December all about the IRHA activities this year.
Hannah Price
Editor

www.irha-h2o.org

Organisations in pictures

Global Vision International

2012 Summary of operations
Water Security Program, Yasawa Islands, Fiji
By Daniel Lund
GVIs Water Security Program in Partnership with The Yasawa Trust Foundation
has made significant progress since the initiative began in early 2011. 2012 has
been a challenging and exciting year and as the program diversifies we have recorded new impacts and achievements.

Rainwater harvesting with

Global Vision International:

During the first four months of 2012, a donation of around $42,000 Fijian Dollars
(around US$23,600) made to the Yasawa Trust foundation by the New Zealand
Rotary was implemented to fund 11 new rainwater harvesting systems providing
approximately 83,200 litres of new filtered catchment capacity across three northern Yaswan villages. This funding was also used to carry out efficiency improvements on a further 100,000 litres worth of existing rainwater harvesting infrastructure. As the dry season approached, the team then completed a water infrastructure improvements in a further 3 villages in the south of the region. In total the
program has now affected 9 villages across 5 islands and increased available
rainwater harvesting capacity by around 350,000 litres.

Finished tank at the Nacula Medical centre

In July attention was turned to Ratu Meli

School, the largest Primary school in the
region where our education enrichment program has been running since June 2011.
Through a generous donation from the
fundraising efforts of an ex volunteer and
her students at The Singapore American
School, GVI and SAS have now completed
a variety of new environment improvements
on the school facilities and have been working towards recognition as an IRHA Blue
School.

Tanks at sea and the installation of a

filter by volunteers

Sanitation education by
Jal Bhagirathi Foundation:

Read more...

RainWater Cambodia
Progress Summary
by Pheng Kea
RainWater Cambodia was established in 2004, and is managed by a dynamic
group of Cambodian people and assisted by technical support from Engineers
without Borders Australia. The organization currently has 10 experienced permanent staff and one technical advisor. RWC has been a lead organisation or partner organisation in over 29 projects working with rural communities to improve
their access to safe drinking water and sanitation. In 2012, RWC implemented
several programs, not only water based rainwater harvesting formalization, but
also for sanitation, hygiene promotion and demand for good governance.
Clean Water Supply Program
The number of rainwater harvesting systems built was limited in 2012. Only one
rainwater harvesting system for a primary school in Phnom Penh city was built.
The main purpose of this program is to improve school childrens health through
the installation of WASH facilities and increased awareness of WASH practices.
In 2012, RWC diversified its range of provision of clean water supply through
piped water system in linkage with renewable energy. A groundwater source was
drilled and tested, and a solar pump will be installed to pump water from the well
to the water tower and distribute it through pipes.
The celebration of World Water Day on 22nd
March 2012 was organized in the local community, with more than 150 participants from
various compositions of local authorities, a
community leader, technical department of
rural development of Kampong Cham province and students. A key message on promoting rainwater harvesting formalization was
spread throughout the community.
Read more...

IRHA Newsletter n48 November 2012

Celebration of National Sanitation Day in

Kampong Cham Province

Children assembling the pieces of a 3D

puzzle and playing Snakes and Ladders

Community involvement with

RainWater Cambodia:

Children walking across their village &

shouting for their parents to build a toilet
for them and celebration of National
Sanitation Day

Jal Bhagirathi Foundation

Integrated Water Resource Management in the Thar Desert in India
By Kanupriya Harish
With 90 people per square km, the Marwar Region of the Thar Desert in Western
India is the most densely populated arid zone in the world, characterized by extremely saline groundwater unsuitable for drinking or agriculture. Communities
are dependent on meager surface water sources fed by a low endowment of rainfall (200mm per year) to meet drinking water requirements of both humans and
livestock. A peripheral look at the area gives a colourful overview of its rich tradition and culture while a closer look reveals the
atrocities of nature marked overtime by frequent
drought years. As water availability is atypical due to
erratic and uncertain rainfall, people are forced to
spend a huge part of their income on procuring water from long distances, transported through water
tankers.
One might wonder how people survived here as the
Thar has been a desert for centuries. It was a rich
tradition of rainwater harvesting, collecting precious raindrops and then
storing them in judiciously planned
water harvesting systems that helped
communities brave the daunting climatic conditions. These systems today lie in disuse, pushed to the margins but are a testimony to a forgotten
legacy of the ancestors who devised
a shrewd system to meet the water
needs. Jal Bhagirathi Foundation has
been working with communities to
A woman using a low cost toilet constructed in a
revive
this rich traditional knowledge
project village and a film show being
of rainwater harvesting.
organized in the village to mobilize communities
Read more...

Learn and Play: Sanitation Education in the Thar Desert in Western

Rajasthan, India
By Kanupriya Harish
Jal Bhagirathi Foundation works in the Marwar region of the Great Indian Thar
desert in Western Rajasthan, India; an area which is the most densely populated
arid region in the world. Promoting sanitation in rural areas where open defecation is a common practice is an extremely difficult task, and JBF is working to improve education on water quality and sanitation among people of this region
through a number of different educational tools and teaching methods. This project is being implemented with the support of the European Union.

Women and children looking at iron model of leach pit toilet

Why I wanted to become

an IRHA member
By K. Panigrahi, Senior
Hydrogeologist
Between 2000 and 2001 I was
involved in the Chhatisgarh
State, India, with a sole objective
of making people aware of the
far reaching effects of
groundwater abuse and the
consequential hazards related to
groundwater depletion.
I take this opportunity to
introduce myself, I am a reputed
Hydrogeologist involved in the
business of water systems viz.
Rainwater Harvesting,
Hydrogeological Study, Water
Quality Analysis, Water and
Wastewater Treatment for
Domestic and Industrial sectors.
I have been working in the
above areas for the past
12 years, and have successfully
implemented Rain Water
Harvesting Systems at multiple
locations. I can design/suggest
various methods to improve
water resources by increasing
water table by means of
rainwater harvesting. I take this
opportunity to let you know that
I have received the most
prestigious Jal Star Award
2012 by Bhaskar Foundation.
I wanted to become an IRHA
Member for following reasons:
1. To know the Latest
Techniques of Rain Water
Harvesting
2. The primary goal of become
a member of IRHA is to
identify all the water access
points, sanitation facilities
and hygiene practices in a
specified region (watershed)
and establish their ability to
meet the needs of the local
community, as established
by the community, or by
compliance with regional or
national standards, where
applicable.

3. To deliver Lecture on
Few people of rural villages have substantive knowledge or have an understandInternationally Rain Water
ing about water-borne illnesses and their association with open defecation near
Harvesting Workshop in the
sources of drinking water. As such, toilets are often viewed as a luxury in these
World.
areas; far too extravagant for the modest means of rural village people. JBF demonstrates how a small toilet can be made in a household with a modest investment.
Read more... IRHA Newsletter n48 November 2012

IRHA Video Corner

IRHA News and Activities

IRHAs 10th Anniversary
10 years ago, on the 15th November 2002, the IRHA was born in Geneva! Following discussions at the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, two months earlier, the IRHA was created to be the global platform for
the promotion of rainwater harvesting. We are still working hard towards our
vision of a large use of rainwater in every field of life.

The IRHA Video Corner showcases interesting and informative short films on several different aspects of rainwater
harvesting.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last 10 years and
we are looking forward to the next!

A Glass of Rainwater?
On the morning of Tuesday 13th November, we held a meeting and discussion
with representatives from the Missions to the UN of the countries where we
carry out our Blue Schools projects. The idea behind this annual meeting is to
discuss how we can work with the missions to increase our reach in their countries.

Join us online and

get involved!

The meeting was called A Glass of Rainwater? and introduced the representatives to
the concept of rainwater harvesting, as well as
the work that we carry out. A large emphasis
was put on our Blue Schools Programme,
which the representatives found extremely interesting.
Read more...

Blue Schools Programme

We have recently finished the formulation of a new project in the Blue Schools
programme: Blue Schools in Tne, Togo. This project is following on from the
very successful Blue Schools in Togo and Benin project, which was completed
earlier this year.
In collaboration with the same partner, Association dAppui aux Activits de
Sant Communautaire (3ASC), this project will be in EPP Tidjoate School and
Malgbangou healthcare centre, in the Savanes
region of Togo. Once completed, 485 pupils
and teachers, along with 5,500 patients, will
have access to water and sanitation, thanks to
the construction of rainwater harvesting systems, toilets and urinals. This project also includes reforestation, a vegetable garden, volleyball and, of course, training and awareness
raising.
Visit our website to find out more
about this project

Tidjoate School

Upcoming Newsletter
The next edition of bRAINstorming is:
2012 at the IRHA
If you have any ideas, articles
or pictures that you would like
to contribute, please send
them to us at:
newsletter@irha-h2o.org

Subscribe to the Newsletter

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Raindrops Geneva Award 2013

We are looking for posters that show the benefits and/or uses of rainwater
harvesting. They could be on domestic use, groundwater recharge, agriculture,
or risk reduction. Keep in mind that the aim of the competition is to make the
general public aware that rainwater can be (and is!) an essential resource.
The three best posters will be awarded prizes, including 1,000CHF for first
prize. The deadline for submission is the 31st October 2013 at 12.00 p.m.
(midnight) GMT, and the winner posters will be announced in November 2013.
Before submitting your poster, please visit the IRHA website to read the Rules
of the Competition and to download the entry form. You can also email us at
raindropsaward@irha-h2o.org for more information.

Become a Member
The IRHA Members benefit from our
extensive network and contribute to
increasing the global use of rainwater harvesting. Visit our website
for more information.

IRHA International Environment House II,

7-9 Chemin de Balexert, 1219 Geneva, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 797 41 57 & +41 22 797 41 58
Website: www.irha-h2o.org - E-Mail: secretariat@irha-h2o.org