Problem

Simple solutions are often the best, and WaterAid promotes a range of technologies that are low cost and easy for the community itself to maintain. Rainwater harvesting can sometimes be a simple way to bring water directly to people’s homes so that they do not have to walk for hours to collect water.

The Gift

Your gift will allow a mason to construct a 4,300 cubic liter rainwater jar that can provide water storage for 20 people. Since the provision of the storage tank is the most costly element of a rainwater harvesting project (about 90% of the cost), your gift will allow people to spend less time collecting water, and more time on other activities. Falling rainwater is some of the cleanest naturally occurring water available, and where it falls regularly it is possible to collect it before it becomes contaminated. WaterAid uses technologies that are low-cost, appropriate to the local financial and geographical conditions and within the technical capacity of the community to operate and maintain. We aim to use technologies which include locally sourced materials and spare parts which can be easily purchased and transported. Simple, Low-Cost Technologies Make a Difference