It rained today. I'm sure this doesn't mean much to most people, but here in Houston, this year has been one of the driest on record. Ponds and lakes are low. Grass is dead and brown. Trees are becoming something like kindling. The landscape just looks parched. Water is just so necessary to life. Everything from the ground up seems to scream for it, and soaks it up so quickly when it comes to the point that it becomes saturated and can hold no more.
Water is essential to life. No life forms can exist without it. Amazing, isn't it? Something so simple, like two hydrogen atoms bonded loosely with an oxygen, can be life-sustaining. Without it, we die. We are born from it. And we require it daily. But how much of it do we waste or take for granted?
As the storm clouds opened up today, I recall thinking, "finally, maybe the lawn will green up a little bit!" But then I started thinking about the families we will serve in a week in Guatemala. They drink water that I find less-than-fitting to water my grass with. In fact, I probably waste more water in a day than they are able to use in a week. The simple fact is that water - clean water - is nearly impossible to find.
In the remote villages we visit on our trips, the people usually rely on a central well in their community - usually located at the school. The well is hand-dug, and usually goes down only 30 feet. Water is present at that level, but unfortunately, so are contaminants. Often, this is also the level at which wastes are present. Water table studies show water present at these levels, but these levels are consistent with latrines and waste disposal. Often, the wells and the latrines are located in close proximity, also, leading to almost certain cross-contamination. Hand-dug wells are also usually not very well protected. Animals can fall in, die, and contaminate the drinking water. Parasites, insects, wastes, and other infectious pathogens usually reside in these wells. Women come and fill jugs from these wells to prepare their food and clean themselves and their household items, furthering the spread of the germs that cause terrible life-threatening diseases. Children often have difficulty maintaining a healthy weight because of diarrhea, which prohibits the absorption of nutrients.
The picture above is an example of a well we replaced for a wealthier community last summer. The opening to the well is exposed. A pulley lowers a bucket down the well.
Today I tried to keep track of what I used water for. I brushed my teeth. I showered, running the water long enough to be hot before I got in. I washed several loads of clothes. I washed dishes. I cooked dinner. I had 3 large bottles of water to drink. I watered a few plants. I washed my hands and flushed a toilet repeatedly. All with the clean water I get from a number of faucets located in my home. No bucket was required.
Once we get started in the community we will serve, the team begins drilling the well. We drill past the "surface" water table, and down into the deeper, cleaner water. Because we use a machine to drill, we are able to get further down into the "good water". We are able to do so quickly and safely.
When we've found the sweet spot, we know it. Several samples are taken to determine cleanliness, mineral content, and the amount of available water. You can see by the image below, the water we get during sampling goes through a lot of changes. The finished product is delicious - better tasting than most domestic bottled brands.
The best part of the whole trip comes at the end. The well is assembled and the community is finally free to taste the fruits of our labors. Clean, reliable, fresh drinking water is made available to the whole community. There is something sweetly satisfying about seeing the eyes of a child light up at the possibility of living without disease, thanks to a few gringos y gringas that gave up a week of their time to help a community in need.
We travel with an organization called Living Water International. What these people do around the world is incredible. Please visit www.water.cc to find out how you can help end the water crisis.
In one week, I will leave the comforts of home to help another community. I'm hoping this time is as amazing as the last!
Water is essential to life. No life forms can exist without it. Amazing, isn't it? Something so simple, like two hydrogen atoms bonded loosely with an oxygen, can be life-sustaining. Without it, we die. We are born from it. And we require it daily. But how much of it do we waste or take for granted?
As the storm clouds opened up today, I recall thinking, "finally, maybe the lawn will green up a little bit!" But then I started thinking about the families we will serve in a week in Guatemala. They drink water that I find less-than-fitting to water my grass with. In fact, I probably waste more water in a day than they are able to use in a week. The simple fact is that water - clean water - is nearly impossible to find.
In the remote villages we visit on our trips, the people usually rely on a central well in their community - usually located at the school. The well is hand-dug, and usually goes down only 30 feet. Water is present at that level, but unfortunately, so are contaminants. Often, this is also the level at which wastes are present. Water table studies show water present at these levels, but these levels are consistent with latrines and waste disposal. Often, the wells and the latrines are located in close proximity, also, leading to almost certain cross-contamination. Hand-dug wells are also usually not very well protected. Animals can fall in, die, and contaminate the drinking water. Parasites, insects, wastes, and other infectious pathogens usually reside in these wells. Women come and fill jugs from these wells to prepare their food and clean themselves and their household items, furthering the spread of the germs that cause terrible life-threatening diseases. Children often have difficulty maintaining a healthy weight because of diarrhea, which prohibits the absorption of nutrients.
The picture above is an example of a well we replaced for a wealthier community last summer. The opening to the well is exposed. A pulley lowers a bucket down the well.
Today I tried to keep track of what I used water for. I brushed my teeth. I showered, running the water long enough to be hot before I got in. I washed several loads of clothes. I washed dishes. I cooked dinner. I had 3 large bottles of water to drink. I watered a few plants. I washed my hands and flushed a toilet repeatedly. All with the clean water I get from a number of faucets located in my home. No bucket was required.
Once we get started in the community we will serve, the team begins drilling the well. We drill past the "surface" water table, and down into the deeper, cleaner water. Because we use a machine to drill, we are able to get further down into the "good water". We are able to do so quickly and safely.
When we've found the sweet spot, we know it. Several samples are taken to determine cleanliness, mineral content, and the amount of available water. You can see by the image below, the water we get during sampling goes through a lot of changes. The finished product is delicious - better tasting than most domestic bottled brands.
The best part of the whole trip comes at the end. The well is assembled and the community is finally free to taste the fruits of our labors. Clean, reliable, fresh drinking water is made available to the whole community. There is something sweetly satisfying about seeing the eyes of a child light up at the possibility of living without disease, thanks to a few gringos y gringas that gave up a week of their time to help a community in need.
We travel with an organization called Living Water International. What these people do around the world is incredible. Please visit www.water.cc to find out how you can help end the water crisis.
In one week, I will leave the comforts of home to help another community. I'm hoping this time is as amazing as the last!
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