The pump isn't here yet, so we've put that hole on hold until the phantom pump arrives. Based on my experience with projects (clinic for example), I pretty much expect there to be unexpected delays. Some of the people on my team think I'm way too pessimistic, but it honestly won't surprise me if we don't get a working pump solution before leaving in a week and a half. Things like this always seem to take way longer than they should.
Yesterday we started a toilet hole at another house. We hit water on that one too, but it wasn't flowing in anywhere close to as fast so we were able to make some pretty good progress. The real purpose for the whole, however, was that they needed dirt for something else nearby and will eventually want a toilet hole. Today Rachel and I learned how to plaster walls.
Tomorrow is the New Year for the Buddhist calendar. The native workers that actually know what they're doing won't be there, so our team gets to take the day off too. We may end up putting in a day of work on Saturday to make up for it.
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3 comments:
It seems like they would be better off using these holes as wells. Is there some regulation about the toilet needing to be deeper than the water table? I would have thought the opposite. Or are you right by the beach?
Ian, I'm not exactly sure what the reasons may be for going deeper rather than wider. They use concrete pipes in the holes, so it is possible that they can't get them in any bigger size. Getting certain things (like pumps) can be a lot harder in Sri Lanka than America. Sometimes you are also just boxed in between trees and buildings so you can't go wider.
Anonymous, everything is at least sort of near the beach. It's at least near enough that the tsunami reached these areas. I'm not sure what regulations (if any) apply. For both of the holes I've been involved in, we hit the water table within the first three feet. I gather from things other workers have said that for other holes they worked on they didn't hit water until they were five or more feet down.
Philip, sounds like you are having a great experience in the sometimes frustrating world of relief work. We are praying for you!
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