Sana’a, Yemen is at risk of being the first capital city in the World to run out of renewable, reliable and clean water supplies. With seasonal rain, expensive bottled water and polluted reservoirs, the residents of Sana’a are constantly faced with waterborne diseases and severe drought hazards.
In celebration of World Water Day, we would like to catch you up with the progress Sabrina Faber who was selected as winner of the 2010/2011 Philips Livable Cities Award – a global initiative designed to generate innovative, meaningful and achievable ideas to improve the health and well-being of city-dwellers across the world. Although the project went on hold due to political unrest, The Rainwater Aggregations (RAINS) Project was still able to complete three sites just in time for World Water Day. Continue reading for more.
The RAINS Project takes advantage of the existing flat roofs found throughout Sana’a. Faber plans to install 25 rainwater aggregations systems that will gather, filter and store water provided by Sana’s two rainy seasons. Faber hopes to embed this age-old method of water collection back into culture of the capital city so it may improve the lives of city dwellers and increase their self reliance.
Today, on World Water Day, Faber will be showcasing the first three completed systems in three separate districts in an effort to raise awareness on this relatively inexpensive innovation. The project is picking up speed as it has gained the attention from some major donors. As the blog states, “Several international donor agencies, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), have already expressed interest in this project. A USAID-funded campaign, known as the Community Livelihoods Project, is planning to use the RAINS system in 25 primary schools and health clinics.” This is just the beginning.
Follow Faber’s progress here on her blog and let us know how you are celebrating World Water Day.
Reference: Philips, Urban Times
Yemen photo by Flickr user essti, licensed through Creative Commons.
