On the one hand there are periods with strong and sufficient rainfalls, but on the other hand there are also months without a single drop of rain. The solution to the problem is the storage of water during the rainy season from January to June. The Brazilian government has therefore started a programme for the Northeast of Brazil called: “One million cisterns for the Northeast“.
This ambitious program can only be implemented by the government with the active support of the civil society and also the Kolping Society in Northeast Brazil participates actively and was able to erect more than 3500 cisterns in the meantime. Kolping primarily selects poor families who need a cistern the whole year over and who are willing to contribute in self-help to the building of such cisterns. Through the Kolping Society the costs for material coming from donations will be provided and the families will be technically counselled and supported in building the cisterns. The cisterns that were built up until now show that the water collected in these is enough to secure the basic water supply for the rainless months.
