The Mocohan Well

Until last week, the school in Mocohan has been without water. Students have been bringing in jugs of water from elsewhere to be used in the kitchen and bathrooms. This has definitely made it challenging for washing dishes, cooking, flushing toilets, and washing hands. And the whole while we have been watching the men working slow and steady on digging a well. I didn't realize how much work it is to dig a well. Dirty and laborous work. Here are some pictures from the well-digging process.

All of us were wondering how all those tubes were going to fit in the well. (Mar. 28/11)

Two of the workers at the top of the well

The third worker down at the bottom working by hand to load the bucket with mud, and form the sides

Hauling up the heavy clay

The well looks promising as they haul up muddy water (Apr. 4/11)

9 meters deep (9 cement tubes) and you can't see the bottom

More mud, longer rope, and more effort to get the bucket up

Even longer rope. Glad I'm not the guy down the hole. (Apr. 11/11)

Big helpers

Look down, waaaay down

The water is getting clearer, but not there yet

All done. 12 meters deep, with the possibility of going to 14 meters if it runs dry (Apr. 25/11)

Clean water in the taps! Over a month of hard work, but it was definitely worth it.