Thanks to the addition of a Village Drill-well to the Haiti Water toolkit, you will notice a change in focus over the past year from developing chlorination systems to drilling wells. Haiti Water remains committed to providing clean water in a way that best meets the needs of the local communities. This commitment is paying big dividends for the Haitian people.
In September, 2017, the Haiti Water Village Drill cleared customs & began drilling wells in the Artibonite region. Fortunately, the Village Drill disassembles into pieces that can be carried anywhere the well drilling team can walk, making this an ideal tool for providing water to rural communities. The large yellow wheel of the Village Drill is turned manually by team members, while Peter, the Team leader, gives directions & cranks the kelly bar as they drill down in increments of 3 foot long drill strings.
In this region of Haiti, the team must dig an average of 120 feet to reach an underground water source capable of meeting the needs of the community. It is a labor of love.
Haiti Water successfully completed 2 wells for a commercial hen house that produces locally grown eggs for the community of Gros Morne. These wells make it possible for the hen house to use groundwater to supply the watering system for the egg laying hens thanks to a solar powered submersible pump. The facility has the capacity to produce over 15,000 eggs per week providing quality, affordable protein to the local community.
Moving On
After completing these wells, Haiti Water then moved down the road & drilled a well for the neighborhood zone of Campeche. This well is outfitted with a hand pump, which the community is responsible for maintaining by collecting dues from neighbors using the well. The Haiti Water Team then moved to the community of Kayimit, where they drilled a well to give the community an alternate water source that is cleaner than the river – a two-hour one-way hike. This site is also outfitted with a hand pump and is maintained by a local water committee.