Rainwater enough to meet most domestic needs: Experts

Bangladesh receives on an average 2000 millimetre rainfall every year and this is adequate to meet most domestic needs, said experts on Thursday, reports UNB.

At the 4th Rainwater Harvesting Convention held at a city hotel, they also observed that by collecting rainwater for reuse and recharging fast-depleting groundwater sources, water scarcity can be mitigated and increased resilience against climate change can be achieved-reducing water-logging and restoring water-related ecosystems.

With proper design and management, Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) system can provide acceptable water quality for drinking in households and industrial areas in both rural and urban city, said Tanvir Ahmed of the Department of Civil Engineering in Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).

Rainwater harvesting is a practical, cost-effective and sustainable solution to many of the water management issues that the country is currently facing, he added.

WaterAid in collaboration with HSBC, RAIN Forum, ESTex, BAE and ITN-Buet organised the convention.

The first phase of the daylong convention was chaired by professor M Ashraf Ali, Director of ITN-BUET, while the second phase was chaired by Kazi Matin Uddin Ahmed, professor of the Department of Geology, University of Dhaka.

Md Shahid Ullah Khandaker, secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, was present at the convention as the chief guest.

The convention ended with a panel discussion on the need to address the country’s emerging water crisis and the role of rainwater harvesting in achieving SDG 6 by 2030.

Shyamal Dutta, editor of the Bhorer Kagoj; Md Shahadat Hossain, chief engineer of Public Works Department; brigadier general MA Mohy, chief engineer of Health Engineering Department; ASM Raihanul Ferdous, chief engineer of Rajuk; and engineer Mohammad Shamim Akhter, among others, took part in the discussion.

Over 100 participants at the convention discussed and debated on policies, challenges and prospects of rainwater harvesting.