M. Wahid Ullah, the representative of the Bangladesh branch of People for Rainwater Japan (PR Japan) and managing director of Skywater Bangladesh Ltd. (SBL), died on Feb. 26. He was 63.

In 1999, PR Japan launched the sky water project as an international cooperation project to collect water in rainwater tanks to help alleviate the safe drinking water crisis in Bangladesh.

Wahid has been working with PR Japan from the start of this project, and his passion and dedication have been fundamental to our success.

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to him for his contribution, for supporting us to overcome many difficulties and achieve numerous results. We would also like to offer our sincerest condolences to his family and prayers for him as well. 

The following is a tribute to Wahid in the hope that his work will be known and recognized more widely and continue to be an inspiration to people around the world.

ESTABLISHMENT OF PR BANGLADESH 

Wahid became deeply involved in the Sky Water Project in 2008 when PR Japan established an international nongovernmental organization as an overseas branch in Khulna.

At the time, I was secretary-general of PR Japan, and promoting sky water harvesting social project by asking local NGOs to install rainwater tanks using international cooperation funds from Japan.

However, because they were contracting out the tank business without devoting themselves to it, there were very few high-quality tanks that we were satisfied with.

Moreover, we came to realize that if we promoted sky water projects by relying solely on donations, the project would hit a dead end, and if we simply installed a tank, it would be perceived as a "gift" to the beneficiary and ownership would not work properly.

Our only choice was to break through the donation barriers and set up our own NGO specialized in sky water harvesting.

This was the conclusion that Wahid and I came to, and it was the beginning of our partnership in the sky water harvesting social enterprise.

Following the international NGO registration of PR Bangladesh, we opened an office in Khulna and Wahid became the representative of PR Bangladesh.

START OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISE ON SKY WATER HARVESTING

After that, PR Bangladesh collaborated with new NGOs to develop a 4.4-ton concrete ring tank (CR tank) that can cover the drinking water needs for a family of six year-round.

In 2008 we launched a pilot project for a social enterprise on sky water harvesting. Some local NGOs said at the time that our project would never work because international organizations cooperate with NGOs to install tanks almost for free but we were asking people to pay for them in installments.

However, despite this criticism, 100 CR tanks were installed and 100 percent of the costs were recovered.

But only the wealthy could afford CR tanks that cost 20,000 taka (about 27,000 yen, or $172). Our goal was to provide sky water as a safe water resource sustainably to everyone who doesn't have access to safe drinking water, so we needed to develop a low-cost rainwater tank that everyone could afford.

We focused on the unglazed jar, called "motka," which has been used for a long time in the rural areas of Bangladesh. Villagers have bought inexpensive motka and collected rainwater for drinking.

However, motka's normal capacity is around 50 liters, too small to cover drinking water needs during the dry season. The jar was also vulnerable to shocks.

So, I looked all over the world for a low-cost rainwater tank that would overcome these weak points, and finally found a giant jar that is made of mortar and has been used for drinking water purposes in the northeastern part of Thailand.

I came up with the idea of transferring giant jar technology by dispatching Bangladeshi masons to Thailand to learn how to make giant jars.

In retrospect, it is nothing short of a miracle that poor masons with no credit cards and no experience of traveling abroad were able to obtain a visa and undergo a month-long technical training course at a national vocational training school in Thailand.

I am truly humbled by Wahid's excellent management skills, which he cultivated during his time working at a travel agency.

SKY WATER HARVESTING TAKES OFF

The problem was that PR Japan, a nonprofit organization, has limited funds for international projects. In Japan, there are only a limited number of organizations that provide funds for international cooperation, and they only provide grants for one or two years at the most.

If we wanted to make the sky water project sustainable, we would have to change our way of thinking from depending on donations to making the enterprise self-funding.

Coincidentally, in 2010, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) announced a tender for a preparatory survey of social enterprises working on issues of BOP (Base of pyramid: low-income) people.

So I established the Institute for Sky Water Harvesting Ltd., and proposed a survey of the social enterprise on sky water harvesting to solve drinking water issues of BOP people. JICA approved the proposal, and I launched the JICA BOP project on sky water harvesting.

This enabled our team to develop a Bangladeshi version of the giant jar. It has a capacity of one ton and is made of mortar (currently made of ferrocement). We named it “Amamizu,” which means sky water in Japanese, to express our gratitude to the rain that supports all life.

Now, how much should we sell this for? To determine this, we conducted a baseline survey of villagers on water costs. The results were very interesting. More than 50 percent of the respondents said they would be willing to pay up to 3,000 taka to purchase a tank.

In addition, we found out that they spent an average of 1,425 taka annually on medical expenses due to water-borne diseases such as diarrhea and an average of 1,416 taka on water purchases.

It was found that they spent on average about 2,841 taka in total. This meant that if they purchased and installed a tank for 3,000 taka, they can not only solve their drinking water problem, but also reduce the cost of water.

Therefore, we carefully examined the material and labor costs and set the selling price of the Amamizu body at 3,000 taka, and the cost of installing and transporting gutters and a tank at 1,300 taka. And we launched a pilot project for production, sales and installation of Amamizu tanks.

Regarding sales, to reach as many BOP people as possible, we adopted an interest-free installment payment method in which the down payment was 2,000 taka and the remaining balance was paid in six months, as it is common in Bangladesh to purchase consumer goods in installments.

As a result, approximately 200 units were produced, sold and installed, and the reimbursement rate for installment payments was generally good at 97 percent.

Based on the achievements of this pilot project, Wahid and I established Sky Water Bangladesh Ltd. (SBL), a locally incorporated company specializing in social enterprise on sky water harvesting.

We opened an Amamizu production center (APC) in 2013. I became the chairman and Wahid became the representative managing director. There were many twists and turns after that, but by the end of 2023, approximately 5,000 Amamizu units had been installed in coastal areas such as Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira.

Currently, in Morrelganj, where the APC is located, so-called Amamizu villages have been created, where there are large numbers of homes with the tanks installed.

Because Amamizu only targets individual families, public facilities such as schools and hospitals are beyond the scope of such tanks. In coastal areas, it is common for public facilities to lack tap water systems, and the need to construct rainwater tanks to provide safe drinking water has come into focus here as well.

Therefore, Wahid and I, along with Mr. Kiyoshi Sato who is an architect and civil engineer, negotiated with JICA Bangladesh to construct a large-scale rainwater tank at a hospital in Morrelganj as a pilot project, in collaboration with JICA, SBL and PR Bangladesh.

Fortunately, Dr. Takao Toda, who was the director of the JICA Bangladesh office, made the wise decision to immediately implement this project and concrete block (CB) tanks with a total capacity of 150 tons were completed.

It was the first case of sky water harvesting for the drinking water supply of a public hospital in Bangladesh. So far, 15 CB tanks have been installed at schools, hospitals and other facilities in Khulna, Satkhira, Chittagong and Cox's Bazar.

The CB tank, which has excellent workability and strength, was developed through Sato's efforts.

WAHID'S LAST TESTAMENT

Subsequent end-line surveys of the sky water harvesting social projects have shown good outcomes.

Whether it's an Amamizu tank, a CR tank or a CB tank, many of the tank users replied to us as follows: “After starting to drink sky water instead of polluted pond water, my diarrhea stopped”; “Sky water is free from salinity, its taste is sweet,”; “We no longer have to fetch water, or the amount of water we have to fetch has been reduced.”

Also, a social innovation effect was confirmed. That is, medical expenses and water costs, such as buying water from water sellers, have decreased.

Similar results were obtained in a study conducted by Shota Yamada (currently a lecturer at Rikkyo University, Tokyo) on the life-improving effects of rainwater tanks when Wahid and I provided an internship for him in Morrelganj.

SBL also has conducted site visits with simple water quality tests to improve the sense of ownership of beneficiaries after installing tanks. As a result, maintenance of sky water harvesting systems is generally good.

Before the rainy season, owners clean their tanks to maintain good water quality. It seems we made a good example of the sustainable sky water harvesting social project.

In 2022, CB tanks with a total capacity of 100 tons were completed at two high schools in Cox's Bazar, where the Rohingya refugee camp is located, in cooperation with JICA. During the novel coronavirus pandemic, Wahid was on the ground, taking command as usual, but during that time, he was diagnosed with lung cancer.

The situation was so serious that he lost his voice for a while. However, he did not leave the field and fought through to the end, even while facing lung cancer. In May 2023, I went to Bangladesh to visit him as he seemed to have miraculously recovered, and he even got his voice back.

But he was told by medical doctors that he was in the final stage of lung cancer.

As usual, he was there at the arriving passenger exit of the airport, and we shared the joy of seeing each other again after such a long time. I couldn't hide my surprise at what he said after that.

He asked me to go to Morrelganj with him during my stay in Bangladesh.

I was concerned about his physical condition and whether he would be able to withstand the long-distance trip, but I readily agreed, thinking that this might be the last time he would be able to travel.

At the site, the masons, SBL staff and other people involved in the sky water harvesting social project were happy to see him and that his health had recovered and gave us a warm welcome.

During his stay in Morrelganj, he and I visited houses and a hospital where rainwater tanks had been installed. I remember him smiling at how the rain was being cherished and put to good use. This image is burned into my memory, and I will never forget that smile.

There is a last testament that Wahid left for me.

"We will all die one day, but the rainwater tanks will live on. I am sure everyone will be grateful to the rain for saving human lives.”

The skies of Japan and Bangladesh are connected by the same Asian monsoon. I have traveled to Bangladesh over 100 times. In other words, I have traveled with Wahid over 100 times.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude once again to Wahid, a great sky water harvester and a best friend who has worked with me on the sky water harvesting social project for a quarter of a century.

I hope that by inheriting his high aspirations and human spirit, the sky water harvesting social project will take root in his country.

Thank you very much, Wahid, for your hard work.

Lastly, I would like to write a message to the world that I cherished along with Wahid.

“Sky Water makes Happiness and Health. No more Tanks for War, Tanks for Peace!”

***

Makoto Murase is the director of People for Rainwater Japan and chairman of Skywater Bangladesh Ltd.