Story Behind Rainwater Harvesting
Why and How?
I started my career in India with local traders of food after my graduation. It was the best time of my life which I had enjoyed and worked. That was in 2001. We never had water scarcity in my best memories. We had different options of water. Two open well and a small private pond helped us to run through the year. In 2003 I left to Abu Dhabi and started living there in Middle East.
The life there, I seldom had opportunity to look into water related issues even though Middle East is not water blessed. I learned that they had developed desalination plants or alternative sources of water for their needs. In fact I am not that much sure about this statement. Mostly we used to get the Govt supply of water and pay for the usage and the sewage as well. It cost me like 300 or 400 AED per month. Sometime later when I hired Arab owned villa, I got water free of cost. Because water for the nationals is free of cost.
In 2013 April I left middle east and was planning to settle in India, specifically at my home town, not exactly, but mostly here in my home town. It was the summer and I found myself that both of the open wells were dry and even the pond water can’t be used as well. We too started the waiting for tanker supply of water by the Govt as aid for the summer. This pushed me to think about the water shortage of my fellow humans those who don’t have not even a public supply of water or open well at home.
In June, exactly the day of school reopening, I don’t know how it is exactly the day of school reopening, the rain started as monsoon. Even I forget that we had faced a water shortage during the summer. So it is. But I was sure that the summer ahead would be more problematic than the last year.
Mean time I started my plans for settling down in India as of my wish. This pushed me to various options of business and I started traveling to get the best products to be traded in India. I had been China, Sri Lanka and Dubai with the same intention. Attended many fairs, visited manufacturing units, companies, discussed about products. Later in October 2013, I was in Dubai for the BIG 5 show, where I met WISY ( Winkler Systeme) and I learned about the emerging technologies of RWH.
It was quite interesting to learn about the new technology as I had always kept a passion to learn new products, concepts and ideas. I just recollect, whole of my life I had never worked with any competitive products from the previous job. Being into sales and marketing I myself felt against the ethics to do so.
So, I started learning the new technology of RWH, it was Ms. Petra Beck and Ms. Regina who started teaching me the need of RWH. They strongly said me; it is the need of the hour. And it will be the business of the future. I too, started looking and thinking in the same direction.
Where ever I discussed I was welcomed with the technology and in due course I myself was confident upon discussion on RWH. Meantime in January 2014, we launched our systems to India at New Delhi during a trade fair. The response was immaculate and huge. Even then, business was not there.
Still we(India) are looking towards the change to happen with the proper guidelines and systems of RWH through which humans can be self depend and sustained on their water needs, irrespective of seasons.
Author:Anzar AzadManaging Director, ACT-WISY.
