UNICEF urges Maldivians to be ready for rainy season

On the occasion of the World Water Day, UNICEF Maldives has urged people to clean out gutters and prepare rain water collecting tanks for the upcoming rainy season, the Northwest monsoon, reports Minivan News.

According to UNICEF, the tsunami worsened the contamination of ground water on almost all inhabited islands, which makes rainwater collection even more important than it was last monsoon.

“Rainwater harvesting has long been the most sustainable and effective method of providing safe drinking water in this country,” says Martin. “But thanks to donations from many organisations, the numbers of tanks available to island communities has risen sharply since the tsunami. As today is World Water Day, people should get ready for the downpour!”

Many islands in the Maldives were provided with communal and household rainwater storage tanks by international agencies such as the Red Cross and UNICEF immediately following the tsunami.