At sunrise´which was very damp with heavy dew´we could hear the drilling rig and support vehicles struggling down the narrow track to the drilling site next to the dry river bed. At the same time the villagers were mãking their way to the river bed to their scoop holes to start filling their jerry cans with the dirty polluted water for their daily needs.
Some of the villagers have donkeys. ´Some share a neighbour's donkey´and others tie the jerry cans together with rope and then put the rope across their forehead and struggle up the river bed with the jerry cans across their back
- back breaking work. During the day we saw goats and a few very skinny cows race to the same watering holes to drink. We saw young boys lie flat on the river bed and lean down into the holes to drink directly from the same holes.
The sun heats up quickly and the drilling is set up and levelled next to its' sopprt vehicle which has on it all the drill stems´ casings´drill bits and gravel which is put down the hole after the drilling to surround the casing.
The drilling started around 8am and the first four or five metres of depth was sand - the rig operators were choking on the blowing sand as they shovel the sand away from the hole -this all done with the ear splitting noise of the truck engines and compressor running to support the pneumatic drill ~we are really disturbing the peace and quiet here today.
The community arrives all day long - they are in awe they have never seen any equipment like this in this entire area. The ladies gather in the shade with their babies ~later they cook maize beans and sweet potato which they bring to ourselves and the drill rig operators.
SUCCESS ~We hit water by 11am and there are huge smiles everywhere. Not the kind of water which gushes out and rockets skyward 50 feet in the air but a steady stream pouring out of the drill stem and soaking the mound of sand and rock tailings. Joseph the drilling manager beams his smile and assures us that we have hit a water supply that is more than adequate for our shallow well. This shallow well is eventually drilled to around 36 metres. This shallow well will have a hand pump so the volume of water production required will be significantly less than what will be required by the deep well which will be operated by a pump and diesel generator. Most shallow wells do not have long term sustainability - this shallow is being drilled as a backup in the event of a breakdown of the deep well or waiting for diesel to arrive for the generator.
After nearly 3 years you are truly helping to make dreams real for Ndandini Village and how we wish we could record and send to each and everyone of you every single Thank You being sent your way today by the villagers of Ndandini ~ they are overwhelmed by how their prayers for water are being answered by you ~ generous Rotarians and sopportive friends from communities all over the world who have never been to Ndandini but are helping them to help themselves and their children.
More reports to come soon
Jan and Terry
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