2016: The new well

Though all attempts to drill a well in the village Kone Pyat have failed, there is still hope. Plan B is coming.

There seems to be light at the end of the tunnel for the residents of the 4th village in the leper colony Loilem and their water troubles. After several failed attempts (no water) at drilling a new artesian well for the village Kone Pyat, an estimate was obtained for an alternative water supply. A second estimate was then obtained from the “Department of Rural Development”, a government organization. These estimates are for laying pipes from a higher location several kilometers away to bring water to the village. Since the source location is higher there is no need for a pump, gravity will do the work. The second estimate also calls for building a small dam for the water at the source. The total cost for both the dam and the pipe is around USD 12,150. We consider this to be a reasonable investment, and the water supply for the village will put it on a more even footing with the other villages in the group. Once the main pipeline reaches the village smaller pipes branch out to the individual buildings. Each feeds a water tank located beside each house.  The pipeline keeps each of these tanks topped up and therefore water is available to the residents for washing, cooking, etc. This is not the standard of running water which everyone in Europe is used to, but for the local residents it means a huge improvement in the quality of life.