Kures Water Well Work Completed

Kures Community Well # 1 … 12 km north of Kitale … Kitale to Kisawai road.

The well will now be serving 3 communities … Recompletion of the well that has been nonfunctional for over 2½ years. 

Steps (photos); After removing all the old damaged pipe, bad pump, and clearing the silted well bore, completion begins with tripping in the new pump. Next; the new pipe is lowered into well bore, making up connections every 6 meters, followed by installing the hanger plate, and setting the well head.

Pull Rods had to be tripped in and out several times because pump seals kept getting damaged. Finally a succesful run.

 

After completion, happy children wash and play in the water, while a young mother gathers water for her family.

                          
       

Heavy Rains ... testing even the strong shelters ...

Housing and shelters in the outer regions of Kitale … similar durability issues exist.




Unique thatched roof design from South Sudan … tall grasses are plentiful and make this type construction easier.

Heavy rains this afternoon and continuing tonight – testing the durability of many of the shelters & the fortitude of the people. Wonderful for the maize crops but very difficult living conditions for many.



Paths to Self-Sustainability

Education of the youth is a must to get out of the poverty cycle. Many communities are striving for this while others have no facilities, materials, or teachers to even begin the process for their children.

Low cost greenhouses can provide not only food but also jobs whereby “energizing the commerce within these developing villages”.

Maji ... Water ...

Beginning our water well work.

Children’s health is increased 100 fold with the fresh water from the new well.

Water tower, while expensive, is a good addition to any water system for management during times of a lower water table.

Community ...

In some villages, the people will work on a project together … to build a Community Center/Clinic/Church/Business multiuse facility.

The people of one village line up for a gathering outside their facility, which in this case though is in a state of severe disrepair.

Rain; Water but now Flooding

Photos tell the stories

 
Flooding creates concerns for dwellings and makes our travel very tricky & anxious, while the children look at it as a time for play … they probably have it right!

  

Shelter / Housing

Shelters come in a wide variety of materials and construction methods. All have their benefits as well as their own shortfalls.

The common concerns have to do with the longevity of the structure and the reliability of the enclosures.

The thatched grass shelters while easily constructed have to be rebuilt approximately every 2 years, and are of course not fire proof to any degree.  If not rebuilt or poorly constructed initially, require plastic tarps, sheets or bags to be placed on them to maintain some form of rain proof protection.

Mud clay structures on the other hand require a longer, more labor intense construction process but are more durable and add some, although not a large amount of, fire proof qualities. They too deteriorate over time, and require major rework or total re-construction.

 

From the Engineering perspective there are many concepts in incubation to provide alternatives. There are several demands for these new prototypes which will develop over time. Rapid response (e.g. for refugee camps), deliverability to very, very remote sites, fire resistant/proof, long life, cultural acceptance, and cost are some of the design challenges.