A Safe Water Well for Koutouma – We Did It!

We asked you, our supporters, to fund a well for the village of Koutouma in honor of World Water Day, and within a two weeks of receiving the final donation, drilling was underway! It took four days to complete the well to a depth of 354 feet, and the villagers even assisted with the process. The following is a report from the field by Mamane Amadou, Director of Water Operations for World Vision Niger.

After testing to see if the pump was working properly, the water was sampled and sent to the water quality laboratory. The results indicated that all major parameters met the WHO standard except that nitrites were slightly elevated. An analysis revealed that the nitrites may have come from the chemical product used for mud drilling. After hours of pumping, another sample was drawn and sent for analysis. The water sample passed, and the hand pump installation followed on June 7^th after the concrete apron around the pump was constructed.

“The water that we now pump from the borehole well is very clear, it tastes good, and you don’t even have to pass it through a sieve to take out insects or dirt” said one 40 year old woman. Now we can sleep well at night and get enough rest, with the peace of mind that we have safe water for our children. Now we have enough time to take care of them because we don’t have to spend all that time getting water. And our hands will be soft,” she added.

“All that we can do is say thanks, thanks and thanks to Wells Bring Hope and World Vision” said the chief of the village.