BRAC University Earth & Environment Forum

We, BRAC University Earth and Environment Forum arranged a seminar “Save the Water Resources” focusing on preserving our priceless resource ‘water’ on November 27, 2012. Architect Ashraful Alum Ratan, who is working with RAIN Forum (Resource Available in Nature) was invited. RAIN Forum is a non-profit voluntary organization concerned with and working towards rainwater harvesting.

At the very beginning of the seminar Mr. Ashraful Alum showed a documentary named “Beautiful Bangladesh”. This documentary was based on information regarding water availability and usage in Bangladesh. Mr. Ashraful Alum talked about water being a valuable resource and the state of this resource in our country. He showed a diagram where he showed every year the problem of lack of water keeps increasing. He spoke of the water crisis emphasizing on Asia. Everyday 4,500 children die in the world and 700 people get sick due to water in our country. He also pointed out some of the problems regarding water such as its increasing demand, sea-level/ocean level/water level of seas and oceans going down, destruction of trees, arsenic levels, etc. Then he discussed how all these problems can be solved by saving rain water.

We have a lot of rainfall in our country. We cannot store all the water that falls on the ground, but whatever we can is a lot of water. Rainwater can be stored in tanks and sumps at home. There are some very simple technologies that will enable us to store and use rainwater. This is known as rainwater harvesting. Rainwater harvesting is a way of saving the rainwater in which rainwater gets collected on the roof and the stored water comes down through the drain. This water can be used in a number of ways apart from drinking such as in toilets for flushing and for watering gardens, washing yards and cars. In 2011 our government made a law where it is stated that it is mandatory for all the new buildings being constructed to have a tank for saving rainwater. After his speech, a question answer session was held where students asked different questions to Mr. Alum

Mahdia Mahtarin Chowdhury,

Editorial Secretary,

BRAC University Earth & Environment Forum