Cologne. Rainwater can save lives - this is the conclusion of the British water engineer Suz-anna Lipscombe. She is working in Sri Lanka, where Malteser International especially en-gages for clean drinking water. Many regions of the country are not yet connected to the pub-lic water supply and the wells are often miles away from the villages. That is why Malteser International, together with the affected families, is building rainwater harvesting tanks. "The rainwater is collected on the roofs and then - through a filter - runs into a tank," Suzanna Lipscombe explains.
In her third report for the Malteser International Lent Campaign 2008, she explains the high value of these tanks in the everyday-life of the people living here: "It strucks me how much effort goes into collecting such a valuable part of anyone's daily life. We start walking up an incredibly steep slope towards a group of five houses on a ridge along the highest point in the hamlet. It is just after midday and already very hot, and trekking up these steep slopes brings on a constant sweat and heavy panting! All the while, a very enthusiastic, petite elderly lady (Mrs. Gunadasa - she must be in her seventies) is hot on my heels and evidently much fitter than I am! She must have been doing this trek a number of times every day since she was a young girl - a harsh reality that highlights the luxury we have with running water in our kitchens, toilets and showers. When we reach her house, she prays thanks for the tank she has just received and how it has changed her life. "I am now drinking the rainwater, and I am very happy to do so", Mrs. Gunadasa tells us. very happy to do so", Mrs. Gunadasa tells us.
With its Lent Campaign, Malteser International calls for putting aside one Euro a day during Lent season. This way, 40 Euros can be saved up until Easter. With these 40 Euros, the or-ganisation can procure the cement for the construction of one five cubic meters water tank for one family.
Suzanna Lipscome's third report can be downloaded here.
Pictures of Suzanna Lipscombe at work can be found here.
If you want to participate in the Lent Campaign, you can transfer the 40 Euros to the follow-ing account:
Donation Account 120 120 120
Bank für Sozialwirtschaft, Wörthstr. 15 - 17, D-50668 Köln
Sort Code : 370 205 00
IBAN : DE49 3702 0500 0001 0258 01
BIC: BFSWDE33XXX
Reference : "Malteser International Lent Campaign 2008"
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
Tubes holding filters and high-tech membranes remove salt from ocean water at the desalinization plant of Peruvian mining company Milpo at its Cerro Lindo mine in Chincha February 19, 2008. Fresh ...
