Water is a fundamentally important resource for the health and livelihood of all Bolivians. More than 40 percent of Bolivia’s population lacks access to proper sanitation, and 37 percent lacks drinkable water. Access to safe drinking water improves family health; and, as well, can improve the production potential and income generated from small farms. The goal of this project is to provide training and tools that will allow rural peasant farm families in Bolivia to inexpensively drill and maintain their own family and community water wells (true sustainable grassroots development).
- Drinking untreated surface water combined with poor hygiene practices causes a variety of diseases and health problems that could be avoided if families had easy access to clean safe water.
- Traditional hand-dug wells are shallow, dangerous to construct, and do not yield clean water. Deep wells drilled using large truck-based drilling rigs cost between $2,000 and $10,000 each—well beyond the means of rural peasant farmers who earn, on average, less than $500 a year.
- Community wells are one way to provide clean water, but many farm families must still carry water for hours a day to distant farms for individual use. Family wells reduce the cost of labor associated with access to clean water, encourages better health and hygiene, and improves the production potential of small farms.
- Appropriate Technology applied to water well drilling – The Agua Yaku project is using an extremely efficient and inexpensive manual drilling method developed by, Terry Waller, an agricultural missionary with many years of experience in Bolivia. In the previous five years, his project has drilled over 2000 wells using this technique (each well drilled using this method costs approximately $500.00).
- This method uses locally available materials to construct the drilling rig, well casing, sediment filter, and hand pump.
- The technique steel percussion drilling bit integrates an innovative valve that reverses the standard flow of the drilling fluid. The valve uses manual power to lift the drilling fluid and cuttings up through the drilling stem and into a settling pool.
-- The drilling rig simply consists of a drill bit, drill stem (composed of 1 1/4” galvanized steel pipe and PVC pipe), couplings, a handle, rope, pulley, and a timber frame. - The filter and casing are made from 2” to 4” PVC pipe and the hand pump is made on site using hand tools and materials locally available in hardware stores.
- This method uses a number of interchangeable bits that can drill through top soil, clay, sand, gravel, and some rock. It will not drill through thick hard layers of rock.
- Clean water is usually found at between 50 and 150 feet, but the method has been used to drill over 300 feet.
- Depending on water depth and drilling conditions, it takes from one day to a week to complete a well.
- The manual method requires ten to twelve people to operate the rig. The drilling operation can be motorized using a small portable rig, thus reducing the number of people required to complete the project.
- Water clubs are formed among families in communities soliciting a partnership with the project. Drilling rigs are loaned to the community and club leaders are taught drilling methods, pump construction, maintenance, etc. Water clubs reduce the cost of wells by sharing labor. Club members cooperate to drill one or several wells on each members farm. Casing and pump materials are purchased by each family (approximately $150-$300 dollars per well).
- In addition to wells, we teach water filtration and disinfection as well as facilitate the construction of water storage systems, wind mills, irrigation methods, appropriate agricultural techniques, etc.
- Project methodology does not create dependency on outside resources, but rather promotes true sustainable grassroots development. With training, project participants use their own knowledge and resources to improve the health of their families and the income generated from their own farm land. With increased family income, children have greater opportunities to finish their education and escape the generational cycle of poverty.
- Project activities are spring boards to developing long term relationships with community members. We share our Christian faith and values through friendships and Bible study. We work in partnership with local churches and other area ministries in community development and evangelism.
- Mission teams are welcome to travel to Bolivia and participate in drilling community and family wells. If team members desire to thoroughly learn drilling methods and rig construction, they may be able to replicate this technology in other areas or countries needing access to water.
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