Let it rain

In many countries where WaterAid works, climate change is causing water tables to fall, and there is an increasing need to preserve every precious drop of water available.

Where wells are at risk of drying up, where there are quality problems with groundwater or where the terrain makes it impossible to dig a well in the first place, the collection of rainwater, known as rainwater harvesting, can be a good supplementary or alternative water source.

Falling rain can provide some of the cleanest naturally occurring water that is available anywhere.  This is not surprising, as it is a result of a natural distillation process.

Since we’ve had the tank we have had no problem with water. We have more time for our work. I am a better teacher now.

Many of WaterAid's programs across Africa and Asia help poor communities to construct and manage rainwater harvesting systems.  Mostly the systems use the roofs of buildings as collecting surfaces, and channel rainwater from the gutters through a filter and into a storage tank fitted with a faucet.

One such community helped is the Kofi Annan Vocational School and surrounding homes in the village of Nwodua, near the Ghanaian city of Tamale.

The community here had access to piped water, but the water only runs on two days each week.  The remaining five days a week women and children were having to walk more than two miles to fetch water from a water treatment plant.  In the wet season, they often risked their health by using water from local streams.

With WaterAid’s help, the school built two large rainwater collection tanks connected to the buildings' roofs so as to have alternative water sources when the piped water is not running.

The tanks measure 12 by 12 feet and are five feet high.  When the wet season begins, the first water is used to wash the rooves, and then collection begins.  The water is filtered through a net before going into the tanks.

The new reliable water source has made a huge difference to the school community and neighboring villagers, as Rebecca Bakisu, 28, a dressmaking teacher described:

“Before we had the tanks sometimes the taps were locked and we had to fetch water from a river in the bush. The water there was milk colored. We sieved and boiled it before drinking but there were still particles in it. It took an hour to go there and back. I had to go three or four times a day.

"As a teacher I didn’t have enough time for all this water collection. I couldn’t prepare well enough for my lessons.
Some of my pupils had to miss days of school to fetch water.

"Since we’ve had the tank we now have no problem with water.
Now we have much more time for our work. You can come out at any time of day, even midnight, to fetch water. I am a better teacher now."

Having experienced water scarcity, the community is aware of the importance of conserving as much water as they can, and make good use of their wastewater too, as Rebecca continued:

"The animals get their water from the wastewater by the standpipes or taps. Sometimes we use the wastewater to water the trees too."

Rainwater harvesting is one of several sustainable technologies used by WaterAid and local partner organizations to help communities find safe water.  Read about other technologies here.