What is AQUA PROGRAM?
AQUA PROGRAM is a joint project of jewelry brand “4℃” and Japan Water Forum.
It aims to bring “beauty and inspiration” to women in developing countries who face serious water and hygiene challenges, by addressing water issues. Since its establishment in 2008, projects have been carried out in the Republic of Kiribati, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Seven years have passed since the current series of projects began in Morrelganj, Bangladesh. Unlike in an urban setting, water supply pipeline systems are absent in the project areas, and it is less likely that these areas will have such systems implemented in the near future. Therefore, people in the project target locations have been relying on ponds and wells for drinking water. They face continuous challenges, as water quality is low and safe drinking water is hard to secure.
▼AQUA PROGRAM official website▼
AQUA PROGRAM contributes to achieving the following SDGs:
Outline of 4℃ AQUA PROGRAM 2024
１）Project Site
Ward No-5, Uttar Sutalori Village, Baraikhali Union, Morrelganj Upazila, Bagerhat District, Khulna Division, Bangladesh
Location arrow for Uttar Sutalori Village
２）Project period
From October 2024 to July 2025
３）Local partner
Skywater Bangladesh Ltd.
４）Background
Morrelganj Upazila, in Bagerhat District, Khulna Division, is located on the southwestern coast of Bangladesh. It is a rural district with a population of 300,000. Baraikhali Union in Morrelganj Upazila has 3 villages. The Aqua Program project area is Uttar Sutalori Village.
Ward No-5, our target location for this year, has 625 households and a population of 3,152. Women and children in the community are the most affected, as they bear the burden of securing drinking water. Every day, they have to travel far from home to get water from a pond or well, at the expense of time for household work and education. Also, drinking poor-quality water often causes water-borne diseases such as diarrhea, requiring additional medical costs for families who already suffer from poor income in this farming community.
For seven years, from 2017 to 2023, Aqua Program installed rainwater harvesting AMAMIZU systems in 300 households (1,393 beneficiary people) in Ward No-4, the eastern neighbor of Ward No-5. We were able to support almost all of the eligible applicants, representing nearly half of the 630 households in Ward No-4.
５）Project plan
We will conduct a whole village basic information survey in Ward No-5 to determine eligible beneficiaries, and install rainwater harvesting AMAMIZU tank systems in selected households, enabling the storage of rainwater for drinking purposes. Furthermore, the villagers will be trained to use, maintain, and manage the system appropriately so that they can maintain it for themselves.
【Main activities】
– Conduct a basic information survey in Ward No-5.
– Install rainwater harvesting AMAMIZU tank systems in eligible households.
– Conduct training in usage, maintenance and management of the rainwater harvesting system.
– Conduct knowledge and experience workshops among beneficiary households in Ward No-5 and Ward No-4 (last year’s target area).
– Follow-ups: Status review and guidance on usage, maintenance and management, as well as quality testing of the rainwater stored in the systems.
６）Beneficiaries
25 households, about 100 people
７）Potential impacts
– Women and children will be freed from the burden of collecting water from distant sources.
– People in the rural community will be able to access safe drinking water by utilizing rainwater.
– Expenses related to medication and medical treatment for water-borne diseases caused by poor drinking water will be reduced.
Beneficiaries of AQUA PROGRAM 2023
▼2024.10.8. AQUA PROGRAM 2023 Completed！▼
https://www.waterforum.jp/en/news/22512
(Reported by Takejiro Suzuki, Project Manager)
