Water Well Project
An LS 200 Drill has been shipped to Indonesia (Manado)

IFC has purchased a portable well drill (LS 200) and has trained seven capable refugees to operate and maintain the equipment. Training local Indonesians increases the effectiveness because they can go into regions that westerners can't. The wells can be drill relatively inexpensively and by local teams.

There are numerous needs for wells in the North Sulawesi and North Maluku provinces. The refugees who are resettling will need wells for their new villages. The transmigration sites will also need water wells drilled. The majority of the villages are on the sea coast and the LS 200 is perfect for these locations. It has been shown its success and durability in water projects all over the world and is relatively simple to operate. There are numerous trainers who can come to Indonesia to do a LS 200 well drilling training.

The LS 200 is portable (it ships in a 2 ft x 3 ft x 8 ft plywood box) and able to drill a six inch hole 200 feet deep. It is specifically developed for work in remote regions. This region is full of islands and the LS 200 can be transported by small boat from island to island.

In 2001 IFC partnered with Lifewater International volunteers to successfully complete four water well projects in north Sulawesi. We hired a well drilling company to drill a deep well at the Paal Dua refugee camp in Manado and one well at a refugee resettlement site in Tondano. The Tondano well provides water to two refugee settlements. In addition we brought water from a public water line to a third refugee resettlement site.

Upon completing their training in February 2003, the new drilling team has successful drilled water wells for two refugee sites in the Manado region and four wells in the Poso area of central Sulawesi. This team will travel extensively throughout Halmahera to provided needed water wells for refugees returning to their homelands and resettlement areas.

Clean water is necessary to good health and is often taken for granted in the developed world. A team from Lifewater International tested drinking water in several refugee camps near Manado and Bitung. The results showed the majority of fresh water supplies were contaminated. Two wells were then drilled to provide clean water for two of the refugee sites. Water needs continue to be critical in almost every refugee center.

The IFC staff in Manado have completed some hygiene training in each camp.This teaching needs to be reinforced.

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