Thank you @Zach Gilfix for all of the hard work and insight to this review. My team is very appreciative to have been chosen for this project!
Last night, I attended the local EA meeting and this thread was brought up. My apologies for being late to the game.
Here is my response to a couple of points made by @NickLaing
2. Maintenance is a major priority for Wells 4 Wellness, we believe it is one of the aspects that separates us from other water charities. I am on WhatsApp with my lead drillers and they receive updates from the point person in each village regarding well maintenance. We only drill where a request for a well has been made, so the interest in maintaining the well is already in place before the locals see the benefits of clean water and the need for maintenance. A “purse” system is established at the time the well becomes functional and those funds are used for regular/affordable maintenance and repairs. Locals that see value in the well voluntarily give to the “purse”, but it is not required. Wells 4 Wellness does not keep ownership of the wells, we encourage the village to take ownership and be pro-active about their own water supply. However, if there is a cost that exceeds their purse, I am alerted and I will make a transfer to one of our lead drillers and a tech person/team will make the repair.
On our wells page, I add a list to the bottom line of each year for any repair related activities. This cost is absorbed into the annual average cost of well drilling/production.
We cover large costs due to the fact that the average income is less than one thousand US dollars per year and some repairs would just be completely unattainable for a remote village to cover.
5. When it comes to the number of people these wells provide water to is based on village and surrounding village populations drawing water. There are never 1,200 people waiting for water at the same time. Most family members send one or two people to fetch water in a five gallon jerry can that they bring back to share.
The aquifer is quite large, estimated to be close to four times larger than Lake Erie. When we hit water, our protocol is to continue 15 meters further in order to have a tall water column in the borehole to draw from. The aquifer is quite deep, in some places up to 200 meters. So, we install a water tower with a thousand gallon tank that is constantly being filled by a solar powered immersion pump that is run on solar panels.
This tank is a water battery that allows the jerry cans to be filled quickly without manual labor. As the water is being dispensed, the tank is being replenished at a rate of approximately 2,000 Litres per hour (L/h) equals approximately 528.34 US Gallons per hour (GPH) during the day.
Hope this helps.
I am happy to answer any other questions if they arise! :) - Willie
Thank you @Zach Gilfix for all of the hard work and insight to this review. My team is very appreciative to have been chosen for this project!
Last night, I attended the local EA meeting and this thread was brought up. My apologies for being late to the game.
Here is my response to a couple of points made by @NickLaing
2. Maintenance is a major priority for Wells 4 Wellness, we believe it is one of the aspects that separates us from other water charities. I am on WhatsApp with my lead drillers and they receive updates from the point person in each village regarding well maintenance. We only drill where a request for a well has been made, so the interest in maintaining the well is already in place before the locals see the benefits of clean water and the need for maintenance. A “purse” system is established at the time the well becomes functional and those funds are used for regular/affordable maintenance and repairs. Locals that see value in the well voluntarily give to the “purse”, but it is not required. Wells 4 Wellness does not keep ownership of the wells, we encourage the village to take ownership and be pro-active about their own water supply. However, if there is a cost that exceeds their purse, I am alerted and I will make a transfer to one of our lead drillers and a tech person/team will make the repair.
On our wells page, I add a list to the bottom line of each year for any repair related activities. This cost is absorbed into the annual average cost of well drilling/production.
https://www.wells4wellness.com/wells.html
We cover large costs due to the fact that the average income is less than one thousand US dollars per year and some repairs would just be completely unattainable for a remote village to cover.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
5. When it comes to the number of people these wells provide water to is based on village and surrounding village populations drawing water. There are never 1,200 people waiting for water at the same time. Most family members send one or two people to fetch water in a five gallon jerry can that they bring back to share.
The aquifer is quite large, estimated to be close to four times larger than Lake Erie. When we hit water, our protocol is to continue 15 meters further in order to have a tall water column in the borehole to draw from. The aquifer is quite deep, in some places up to 200 meters. So, we install a water tower with a thousand gallon tank that is constantly being filled by a solar powered immersion pump that is run on solar panels.
https://www.wells4wellness.com/hidden-beneath-the-drifting-sand-is-a-freshwater-ocean-ready-to-make-waves-in-the-sahara-desert.html
This tank is a water battery that allows the jerry cans to be filled quickly without manual labor. As the water is being dispensed, the tank is being replenished at a rate of approximately 2,000 Litres per hour (L/h) equals approximately 528.34 US Gallons per hour (GPH) during the day.
Hope this helps.
I am happy to answer any other questions if they arise! :) - Willie