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The Mitsui & Co. Environment Fund

Introduction to Grant Projects

People for Rainwater

Sustainable rainwater project to secure safe drinking water

Activity grant

Project Description

One of the UN's Millennium Development Goals is to halve the global population without access to safe drinking water by 2015. Bangladesh falls short of WHO standards in this respect with an estimated 40 million people using arsenic contaminated drinking water, and salt contamination is increasing due to rising sea-levels and shrimp breeding. People for Rainwater has been introducing rainwater usage technology developed in Japan as part of international cooperative initiatives since 2000, but has experienced problems such as insufficient tank storage capacity, a lack of maintenance, and a dependency on overseas funding making activities unsustainable. Therefore this project aims to standardize the rainwater technology used by:
(1) trialing standardized low-cost tanks and providing training for local people and leaders,
(2) collaborating with local NGOs to raise awareness,
(3) cultivating technicians,
(4) investigating microcredit needs in relation to tank installation and implementing a pilot scheme.

Grant year
FY2008 Activity Grants
Grant term
3 years
October 2008 - September 2011
Grant amount
16,827,000 yen
Activity region
Satkhira, Bangladesh
A rainwater tank installed in Bangladesh

Overview of the Organization

Kohei Yamamoto, Director
Representative
Kohei Yamamoto, Director
Establishment
1995
Establishment purpose
Established to promote and raise-awareness of rain water use among ordinary people, conduct research on rain-related topics including creative writing, develop technology for rainwater use, cultivate personnel to design and construct this technology, communicate information and publish on the topic of rain, and contribute to rain related international initiatives, with the aim of conserving local environments and expanding rainwater storage initiatives from a regional to global scale, alleviating the 21st century water crisis, and contributing to the realization of a more peaceful, sustainable society.
Main areas of activity
Japan, Bangladesh
Staff
3 part-time staff, 200 full members
Annual operating budget
12.68 million yen in 2005, 16.52 million yen in 2006, 17 million yen in 2007
WEB site
http://skywater.jp
Recent activities
  • (1) Promoting and raising awareness of rain-related issues
  • (2) Rain-related surveys and research
  • (3) Sharing information and publishing on the topic of rain
  • (4) Developing rainwater use technology and cultivating technicians
  • (5) Supporting and cooperating with international rain-related initiatives
  • (6) Using rain water for disaster area aid initiatives