Many regions in rural Myanmar suffer from notorious water shortage, especially in the Dry Zone around Bagan. Daily walking to water wells can take many hours, making it an everyday struggle to fetch a few liters of water for the village.
Moreover, as groundwater can only be found around 500-800 feet below the ground of the village, we had partnered up with the village committee, building a water supply system from the closest water resource outside of the village to the center of the community. Most of the villagers are farmers and pottery makers, which has been a long-lasting profession in the region and water plays an essential role for the job to be done and to support their families.
To guarantee a sustainable operation of the supply system, the village formed a water committee member from the village who will be monitoring and collecting small funds for future maintenance. Ensuring the active involvement and inclusion of the community will encourage everyone to take good care of the system.
Finally, providing the basic need of water to the communities in the Dry Zone, near the famous temples of Bagan, has an enormous impact on the life of villagers and is desperately needed.
Below are 11 villages that received the donation for well building, under Khiri Reach coordination:
Hipp family – DmASIA agent water well – Mya Kan Village, Bagan
The first & foremost water well in Dry zone in Oct, 2014. It has been going well with the community & host family since then. They are running well with diesel fuel and selling water at a very reasonable price. 8 buckets of water costs only 100 kyats (10 cents in US$). Now, they can get fresh water & easily access for everyone. (Before they fetch water from another village).
Each village in Myanmar has its own village committee and village fund. This works very well and they collect money from every person in the village using the well. So they have their own fund to use in case they need to repair the well & maintenance. In this way the projects are really sustainable.
U Tint Swe, 60 years old from the water committee said very grateful to the donors & everyone who helped in this project. The whole village people are farmers and they depend upon river water resources. As the weather has changed a lot lately and the Ayeyarwaddy river water level is down. Water quality is also not good. People can’t drink anymore.
Herman Hintzen family – Talisman agent client – Kyauk Kone Village
In Feb, 2015, Talisman agent clients Hintzen family contributed a second water well in Kyauk Kone village, between Chauk & Bagan Township. With neighboring villages, there are 300 households that are using these water resources at a very reasonable price and people are very happy. Moreover, Animals are also dependent on these water resources as well.
Ma Aye Hla, 50 years old from the community, said she needs water for her goats more than household use. She and her husband go to a very far place (next village) to carry water every morning & evening. It takes about 2 hours to get 4 buckets of water. It took time and energy. Due to the low income of her husband (motorcycle taxi service), she is breeding goats and most of her time is carrying water and feeding the goats. After the water well is done at her village, she is the happiest person in the world. Now she doesn’t need to go far away to fetch water.
Manisar family, DmASIA agent client – Shwe Si Tine Village
In May, 2015, 12 people of Manisar family traveled to Myanmar and they would like to contribute a water well in their visit to Bagan. Then, we found a place near Mt. Popa region, Shwe Si Tine village. The community is using fresh water from a small creek near Mt. Popa. Due to less water resources, they need a water well for the long run.
Heineken family, Netherlands – New Bagan Quarter
6 family members are doing great things in Myanmar. Donating water well in the new Bagan area who needs water indeed. The New Bagan area has 1 water well situated at the top of the village. The other side of the Community people are taking time to fetch water every evening. As a solution, we built another well on the other side of the village and 100 household people can easily access water resources with near distance.
Baw Lone Kyun Village ( East Ywa Naung)
150 households & 250 people are using this water resource. Ko Paw San, 55 years old farmer from East Ywa Naung village has been living in this village since he was born. Community is depending upon river water for drinking, farming and household use. As a farmer, he desperately needed water resources and not having enough water for farming, he gave up his family business before we donated water well. To get income for family members, he is working as a waiter in one of the local restaurants in Bagan. He did not earn as much as he expected.
After the water well project is completed, he is the happiest man in this village. He went back to his original farming business for good. He said he prayed for everyone who was involved in donating this water well in his village.
Netherlands Ambassador – East Phwar Saw Village, Bagan
In Jan, 2016, the Netherland Ambassador Family is visiting Myanmar and they would like to contribute to our water project. It is in East Phwar Saw village near old Bagan. But 200 people & 100 houses community use it for planting trees, feeding animals, washing dishes and drinking as well.
U Hla Shwe, 60 years old from the village committee said the community has less burden to have this water well. After having this water well, they don’t need to go far distances to fetch water. As he is a retired schoolmaster from the village, he has bad experience with water shortage in his school. He assigned his students to fetch water during school time every 2 days in the morning. After water well is done, he was
Namaste clients (Maria van Lemmen) – Shwe Kabyu Village, Chauk, near Bagan
This 600 population of the community has depended upon only 1 water well in the whole village before. Now, we built a new water well and the community is happy to fetch water easily, accessible and at an affordable price range.
Villager Ko Hla Toe from the village said the whole village has been dependent upon river water since he was born. As they drink river water, children are sick very often. Another option, they have to buy water from the village well and it costs about 60$ per month.
After having our water well in this village, he said they were very lucky. Due to good quality of water, they can be used for all purposes – drinking, farming, and household use. Moreover, the water committee member charged a cheaper price of water (around 20$ per month) which makes us happier.
Contribution from SAX Sanitair from Belgium
Khiri reach contributes to digging water well south of near Bagan town. Moe Nant Kone village. 350 population, 70 households’ lives in those communities.
Daw Thein Htwe from the community said this is the happiest time for all of us. She runs a small vegetable shop at her home. As a vegetable seller, she wakes up very early to travel to Bagan main market to buy some vegetables to sell in her shop. After having a water well in the village, she can access water very easily at an affordable price. Then she cultivated a small garden in her farms and sold fresh vegetables to the village community. She can save time and money at the same time.
Water well in Pokkaku New Quarter by Semaster at Sea students group Feb, 2018
SAS students (15 pax) and Khiri Reach donate water wells in Pakokku 20 quarters with 100H/H and 400 populations has 1 water well and they need more water access to cover the whole community.
“Water committee member U Hla Ohn said “ he wanted to thank the donors and all of us instead of the whole community for having this water well in this village. Due to the new quarter established in Pakokku, there was no water resource before. People are going out to fetch water in the next neighboring quarter. It takes time consuming the whole morning and evening. The whole community is very happy to have this water well”.
ROCHE Water Tank
ROCHE Myanmar donated a water Tank at the Aung Chan Thar village in Pakkoku District in Dec, 2018. There are 350 households and a total estimated population 1200 are living in this Aung Chan Thar quarter in Pakkoku District. Most of the people are casual laborers and poor families. They moved in 2011 from the Shwe Chaung Flood disaster. Due to severe flooding, nearly 200 people died in 2011.
