We are Alive Beneath the Same Sky in the Monsoon Asia areas
Sky water which is safe and sweet water is available for everyone. Japan is blessed with rain in the world. Most of the rain that falls in Japan in monsoon seasons comes from India and Bangladesh with jet stream. Still now several hundred million people have no access of the safe drinking water in the monsoon Asia areas. We would like to make contribution, as a monsoon colleague beneath the same sky, to solve drinking water crisis by transfer of the technologies and experiences on sky water harvesting in Japan in cooperation with the local people.
Suffering from Arsenic Poison & Salinity in Bangladesh
Arsenic contamination of the ground water has been found at 61 out of 64 districts in Bangladesh . The concentration of arsenic exceed nation’s standard limit of 0.05 mg/l and 30 million people are at risk. Signs of arsenic poisoning include an abnormal hardening of the skin on the hand and feet. Untreated, the condition may develop into skin or lung cancer. It’s urgent to change the water resources from the arsenic contaminated ground water to arsenic free water. In addition to this arsenic issue, salinity of drinking water has become severe in the coastal areas year by year by rising sea water level caused climate change and shrimp farming.
Sky Water Solving Drinking Water Crisis
Based the survey of water demand in the coastal areas, we concluded that the capacity of a tank which could cover drinking water for 6 family members during dry seasons is required over 4000 liter. People for Rainwater (PR Japan : NPO organization), developed concrete ring tank（4400 liter）and published “Installation & Maintenance Manual on Sky water Harvesting（written in English & Bengali）”in 2008. Dr. Sky water has taken initiatives regarding above projects as secretary general of PR Japan.
Making Sky Water Harvesting Sustainable
The basic concept of the Installation of sky water harvesting systems as international cooperation projects has been donation, that is, 80-90 percentage of the total cost of the installation of a sky water harvesting system has been covered by donor. When funding support by donor was finished after 3 years, the projects could not continue. That’s why, these projects have remained only the installation as model plants, failed to make stainable. PR Japan has started to introduce microcredit & installment systems to break through the donation style and make sky water harvesting sustainable in cooperation with local people since 2009.
