Nurul Islam

Household

Basketry

Tools

Basketry (BSK)

Tool

Household item

Sawya is a simple, clever rain-catching device. The rain runs down a woven bamboo panel set at a 45-degree angle into a hollow bamboo tube, emptying into a bucket or pot set at one end. Many households in rural Arakan lack tube-wells or wells, and Rohingya women and girls must travel distances to collect and haul water. In the rainy season, sawya saves them a trip to the pond, lake or river, and the rainwater is fresh and delicious!