2009 no 01
Second sand dam training in Ethiopia
Following a successful pilot project that was implemented in the Borana region in Ethiopia, RAIN and ERHA, its national capacity centre in Ethiopia, organised a second sand dam training in March 2009. 12 Ethiopian NGO’s were trained on site-selection, design and construction of sand dams and rainwater harvesting tanks.
The training was held in Addis Ababa and included a visit to Borana (South-Ethiopia) where 5 sand dams were built in 2007 and 2008. The training was given by experts from Acacia Water, IVM – VU of Amsterdam, RAIN and SASOL (Sahelian Solutions) from Kenya. The training session was opened by Mr. Yohanes Ghebremedhin, Head of Department of Water Supply and Sewerage of the Ministry of Water Resources. The aim of this training was to prepare organizations for the RAIN sand dam programme in Ethiopia for the next 2 years (2009 – 2010). Click here to view an interesting 4 minute video of this training session.
Upcoming events this year!
34th WEDC international conference 18 – 22 May in Ethiopia
Click here for more information
High-level Meeting on rainwater harvesting 28 – 30 June in Nepal
The Fifteenth South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit held in Colombo 2-3 August 2008 re-emphasized the need to harness rainwater for development and sustainability and urged countries to take appropriate action. To support the initiatives, the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works of Nepal plans to hold a Regional High-level Meeting on rainwater harvesting, and invites Ministers / Secretaries, senior policymakers and officials of SAARC countries to lead appropriate delegations of national experts June 28-30 2009 in Kathmandu, Nepal.
The overall objective is to benefit from sharing knowledge, expertise and experiences among each country in the region. Field experiences and research results on technical, social, ecological and economic aspects of RWH will be shared, the potential of using rain water for drinking, groundwater recharge and for other domestic applications will further explored and current policies and guidelines adopted in the regional countries will be reviewed for their effectiveness. Click here for more information.
International Rainwater Catchment Systems Associations (IRCSA) Conference 3 - 6 August in Malaysia
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RAIN at World Water Week 16 – 22 August in Stockholm
RAIN, Acacia Water and the World Agro-Forestry Centre / SEARNET will covene a session during Stockholm World Water Week 2009 on "(Rain)Water Harvesting for Food and Water Security: Experiences and Best Practices for Scaling Up".
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is increasingly recognised as an important technology option in providing poorly served households and communities with water and food security. Particularly in remote and semi-arid regions, RWH offers a viable water supply solution for domestic and small-scale agricultural use that can be locally implemented and managed.
In response to requests by governments, donors and policy makers, key players in the field of RWH have convened this seminar to share proven methodologies and approaches. While the positive impacts of RWH have been observed and documented at a micro-scale, interventions remain scattered, poorly documented and disseminated. In expanding from pilots to widespread RWH, tested methodologies and approaches will provide the foundation for effective design, implementation and monitoring of larger scale interventions and their impacts.
Presentations will examine the underlying factors and best practices of successful interventions, their demonstrated impacts and cost-effectiveness. The seminar's expected output is the development of a conceptual and practicable framework for up-scaling and integrating the use and management of rainwater, ground- and soil water for sustainable multiple use water supply.
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