Industrial Rainwater Harvesting - A Sustainable Approach to Water Management

Faruque Hassan, President, BGMEA

The ready-made garment industry of Bangladesh is committed to continue its efforts to minimise the environmental cost of production and reduce resource consumption.

Bangladesh's RMG sector has made remarkable strides in the area of environmental sustainability, securing the leading position with the highest number of green garment factories in the world, and is making consistent efforts in that direction.

The green factories ensure thermal comfort of the workers and state-of-the-art hygiene, use daylight, have rainwater harvesting system and maintain indoor air quality as per the ASHRE standard that maximises workers' physical and mental health and productivity.

Bangladesh is blessed with monsoon rain, and rainwater is considered as green water. The potential of rainwater storage during the monsoon period has driven innovation in the apparel industry. We are actively encouraging factories to adopt rainwater harvesting, and have seen RMG manufacturing units prioritising rainwater.

BGMEA, as a progressive association, accepts the recommendation and shall be happy to launch Sustainable Water Management Cell in the new BGMEA office at Uttara. We will also observe rain day and organise rain convention for raising awareness and enhancing technical knowledge about sustainable water resource management. 

Professor Dr Tanvir Ahmed, Director-ITN, BUET

The RMG sector generally uses groundwater for meeting its water needs. The process of removing salt from groundwater is also time-consuming. On the other hand, rainwater is salt-free. Considering the rooftop catchment areas of the RMG factories, it is easily possible to make rainwater harvesting plants there. However, there are challenges for storing and preserving this water. If we raise awareness about the benefits of rainwater harvesting, and provide technical knowledge, then factory owners can implement rainwater harvesting systems in their factories.

Abdullah Al Maher, CEO and Head of Business, Fakir Fashion Limited

I would request for establishing a platform where all stakeholders can collaborate on making RMG and textile factories more sustainable. If we want to conserve groundwater then it is essential for the retailers, suppliers, and factories to share technology with each other, build awareness and focus on their R&D efforts. 

Tanzida Islam, Programme Manager - Environment, H&M

H&M has been focusing on improving the infrastructure of its factories, and this is where we are emphasising rainwater harvesting. During our water audit, we noticed that around 0.2 million cubic metres of water were harvested from rainwater. We monitor water usage through our freshwater consumption KPI which is connected to our sustainability index. We incentivise factories to adopt such sustainable facilities through this mechanism. 

Md Mahbubur Rahman, Senior Programme Manager - Environment and Climate Change, Embassy of Sweden

The existing water scarcity along with the deteriorating state of the climate needs the collaborative effort of all the stakeholders. In Bangladesh, textile and garments consume a lot of water, and that's why we should be duly concerned about efficient usage of water resources. Our primary focus should be to make industries such as RMG and textile even more advanced and sustainable in the future.

Kazy Mohammad Iqbal Hossain, South Asia Regional Sustainability Manager, Lindex HK Ltd.

According to our studies, factories can fulfil 10 to 20 percent of their water needs through rainwater harvesting during the monsoon season. Keeping this in mind, we have planned and allocated funds to introduce rainwater harvesting in our 10 factories in the next two years.

Mohammad Zobair Hasan, Deputy Executive Director, Development Organisation of the Rural Poor (DORP), and Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) - South Asia CSO Representative

Rainwater harvesting can be a possible option for us to achieve some of the SDG 6 targets. To do this, we have to encourage collaboration between factory owners, NGOs, and the media to create a massive awareness campaign on this issue. Political willingness would help address this issue in a holistic manner. 

Abil Bin Amin, Bangladesh Country Manager, Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI)

We formed an advisory group recently which focuses on climate change and its impact on businesses. ETI can play a role in disseminating the expertise and knowledge of the stakeholders to national and international communities.

Abrar Hossain Sayem, President, BAYLA

Many factory owners are interested in making their factories more sustainable, but they do not have adequate knowledge on how to do it. If they are provided information on the challenges and benefits of rainwater harvesting, they will be able to make sound decisions to support their production system as well as the environment. BAYLA can also help them in this regardIt is essential to promote rainwater harvesting among the youth so that they can become youth advocates for this sustainable practice.

Hasin Jahan, Country Director, WaterAid

A rainwater harvesting plant would cost around 65 lakh taka for a typical factory. In comparison to the exorbitant cost of building an apparel factory, this sum is insignificant. Dhaka WASA has declared that it will increase commercial water prices by 40 percent soon. BEPZA also charges high price for water. If factories shift to using rainwater for meeting their water needs, it will help them significantly reduce costs over time. At the same time, it will contribute towards improving the environment in the country.  

To address the issue of depleting groundwater level, rainwater should be everyone's business. Industries having ample space on the rooftop can be easily used for rainwater harvesting, and they can, thus, demonstrate sustainable solution towards solving the growing water needs for the businesses. Thanks to BGMEA for demonstrating a unique example to help protect our scare water resources by encouraging the factory owners to adopt rainwater harvesting. WaterAid is committed to working with business entities and private sector to fast-track efforts towards water security and environment.

Key recommendations

• Establish Sustainable Water Management Cell at BGMEA. It will be a platform for stakeholders to collaborate on improving sustainability of RMG and textile factories. Initiate following activities:
• Commission feasibility studies, and encourage factories to adopt rainwater harvesting facilities understanding the cost, benefits, and payback period.
• Share technical know-how through providing training on rainwater harvesting and demonstrating the benefits to factory owners
• Raise awareness about the benefits of rainwater harvesting by celebrating rain day for mass people and rain convention for practitioners
• Engage young entrepreneurs and buyers in the promotion of rainwater harvesting
• International buyers should incentivise factories to adopt rainwater harvesting facilities.