Wells in Gatsibo
We have been working in Gatsibo for five weeks now, and it has been a great learning experience. The motivation we had when we were in Oklahoma has been even more fueled by the full realization of how bad the water crisis really is in our country, and the impact that the wells can have on the population. The local authorities and population embraced our project and have been at our side since we started. This assures us that the wells will be maintained even long after we are gone. The progress has not been as fast we initially anticipated because it is the first time that this technology is being used in Rwanda. Three wells are currently under construction, and it has been a real learning experience for us.
The first well was started on May 10th, and we were blessed to have with us one of our mentors, Gary Shaw, as well as some of the Oklahoma Christian University staff (John Osborne, LJ Littlejohn, Kelsey Herndorn and Don Drew). It did not take long to hit the water on the first site and the recharge rate was great, but we later on realized the filtration system was not quite adequate for the area. The well is functional, but we did not want to let the people use it yet before we have tested the water PH level. This could have been done quickly, but we are still going through the bureaucracy of the ministry of infrastructure. However, the water is still much cleaner than the one the people in the area are currently drinking/using.
The site where we drilled the second well was very muddy. After going over forty feet deep, we realized we would not be able to bring clean water to the surface with the means that we have. Our hand-drilling technology is not appropriate for the soil type in that area.
The third site will probably be our first real success. The soil is hard and this guarantees that the underground water is cleaner, and more importantly can be brought to the surface with almost no residues. We are installing the pipes and the filtration system this week. The recharge rate of the water on this third site is also greater than the ones at previous sites.
We have learned more on working on actual wells than we did in our training. The biggest challenge that we have faced so far is getting our hands on the geological data. We asked the ministry of infrastructure- which is the ministry we are working with- about it, but they did not have it. We have been able to contact other individuals and organizations who promised to provide the data. The organization that trained us (Water4Foundation) has also been of great help by sending us documents to help us identify sites better.
After working on three sites, we can also estimate the kind of site where our technology can be successful. We are finding out ways to improve the material that we use but also building our capacity to hand-drill wells. We are finishing up the third well this week and starting a new well in Gasabo district, where there is a home for over 25 young people that used to be street children.
