The Contribution of Rainwater Harvesting to Disaster Risk Reduction

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The Contribution of Rainwater Harvesting to
Disaster Risk Reduction
Consultative Meeting on a Global Network of
NGOs UN-ISDR Geneva 25-26 October 2006
IRHA International Environment House 2 Chemin de
Balexert 7-9 1219 Geneva, Switzerland
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Rainwater Harvesting is one of the most ancient
activities in the history of mankind
Human beings have always sought to settle near
water
Whether in dry or wet areas, they had to learn
how to find and save water as it is a limited
resource
Human beings learnt to meticulously harvest every
raindrop
Build simple constructions to store the collected
rain and use it rationally
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Practicing Rainwater Harvesting is valuable under
different disaster conditions

• In areas with heavy tropical rains and prone to
  floods

• In arid and semi-arid zones prone to droughts

• An appropriate rainwater management is necessary
  for the protection of the ecosystems

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• The two  hazards  - flood and drought should be
  integrated into a wider risk management system

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Use of Rainwater Harvesting

• for urban development and natural resources
  preservation

• for rural development and food security

• for disaster reduction

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IRHA The International Rainwater Harvesting
Alliance consists of a network of NGOs with
members in different continents

• IRHA Members Focus areas
• Household and productive
• uses
• 2. Sanitation and hygiene
• 3. Watershed management
• Food sovereignty and soil
• conservation
• 5. Aquifer recharge and
• ecosystem conservation
• Disaster risk reduction and
• reconstruction.

IRHA Secretariat Activities A. Project
Implementation B. Training and knowledge
transfer C. Federating the RWH movement D.
Positioning RWH in national and local political
agendas.
RWH into IWRM policy
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IRHA Secretariat, Regional Focal Points and
Activities in Different Continents
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A Community Based Initiative Rainwater
Harvesting in the Municipality of San Antonio de
Lomerio, Bolivia

• Objectives
• Reduce the vulnerability of the population
  towards the shortage of water by improving the
  infrastructure
• Capacity Building (Environmental Education and
  training of RWH managers)
• Duration
• September 2005 to October 2006
• Funding Source
• Service de Solidarité et de Coopération du Canton
  de Genève
• Budget of the Project
• 16000 USD
• Partners
• Green Cross International and American Peace
  Corps

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Construction of Water Tanks
The goal is to construct 25 water tanks of 10m3
each At the end of August 2006, 21 reservoirs had
already been constructed
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Capacity Building of 15 community members
Along with the construction of the water tanks,
15 community members were trained on how to
construct them. In this case sustainability could
be reached after the project was finalised. This
also contributed to the empowerment of community
members Another result of that was to train 15
rainwater harvesting managers
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Training Workshops

• The resilience of community members was a result
  of
• Decreasing the number of skin and
  gastro-intestinal deseases
• Stressing the importance of hygiene to the
  health and well being of the population
• Focusing on the importance of environmental
  preservation
• Introducing the Swiss system of purification of
  water  SODIS 
• All of these factors contributed to disaster risk
  reduction

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Impact of RWH on Disaster Reduction

• In the case of a drought, assured access to
  drinking water and enlarged possibilities for
  yielding crops
• Avoids the danger of gastro-intestinal epidemies
  and diminishes child mortality because of
  improved hygiene
• Assures water reserves for fire protection
• In case it is practiced on a larger scale, it
  contributes to flood reduction
• In post-disaster conditions, offers the only
  clean water
• Benefits not only human beings but the
  environment in general.

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Thank you for your attention

• www.irha-h2o.org
• Vessela Monta (Executive Director)
• vessela_at_irha-h2o.org
• Adelia Branco (Steering Committee Member)
• adeliabranco_at_terra.com.br