About 80 tropical cyclones (with wind speeds equal to or greater than 35 knots) form in the world’s waters every year. Of these about 6.5% develop in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. Since the frequency of cyclones in the Bay of Bengal is about 5 to 6 times the frequency of those in the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal's share comes out to be about 5.5%. The tropical cyclones forming in the Bay of Bengal hit the coast of India (particularly the states of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal) every year, causing heavy loss of life and property.

The Japanese capital Tokyo receives 1,400 mm of rain in a year. But concrete prevents it from percolating into the ground. Urban flooding and acute water scarcity affected the people almost every

Water is bound to dominate the agenda of the country s politicians and planners in the future Though ignored for years by the political leadership and mismanaged by a myopic bureaucracy, there is still hope.

Three countries in Southeast Asia -- Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines-- have made efforts to provide drinking water by capturing rain. In Thailand, the absence of foreign assistance for