Prey Sumnang Well Project – Cambodia

Location
Dang Tung District, Kampot Province, Cambodia

Community Description
This project is being done in Prey Sumnang Crowm Village of K’cheeyay Kan Chuung Commune, in the middle of rice fields about 3 km off the main 30 km dirt road that runs between Chouk and Kampong Trach.

Dang Tung District, Kampot Province is a fairly new district that was created with pieces of Kampong Trach District and Chouk District in 1986. Because the road to it was until recently quite bad, there has been minimal development work and the limited presence of NGOs in the district.

There are over 55,000 people in the district. It is comprised mostly of rice farmers, and is the poorest of the 8 in the province, with 3,700 people living at the lowest level of poverty.

The direct community of 16 houses that will most directly benefit from the project is entirely made up of rice farming families. None of these families currently has a pump or well. Water is generally carried in buckets on poles on the shoulders of the villagers to their homes from the closest available pump.

During the dry season, they bike 2 km to pump water from the communal pools at Wat Prey Sumnang, the closest Buddhist temple. Only a small amount (~30 liters) can be carried on the back of a bicycle, which limits the use for proper health and hygiene.

Moreover, the pools of water available at the wat are contaminated by the waste generated by the wat, greatly affecting the health of the community.

Project Description
The project is to dig a well and install a manual water pump.

The water table is stable and plentiful enough that the well will provide a positive source of water, especially valuable in the dry season, for years to come.

Although there has been no incidence of wells with cyanide in the district to date, the district office will take the precaution of testing for cyanide before the well is made available for use.

The community, with very limited resources, is contributing 10% of the project cost and is committed to the ongoing maintenance.

Project Impact
This project provides clean water to the 72 people who live in the 16 houses surrounding the pump location. In addition, it will available for use by others further away who choose to use it.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
This is the second project by Peace Corps Volunteer Lauren Arnold. You can read about her first project HERE.

Comments
This excellent project will provide safe water for an entire community in urgent need of an accessible supply. The villagers have committed to maintaining it, thus ensuring sustainability.

Dollar Amount of Project
$450.00

Donations Collected to Date
$450.00

Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has been fully funded, through the generosity of The Soneva SLOW LIFE Trust as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative.

Any additional donations using the Donate button below will be used to fund other projects by this PCV and/or other PCVs in this country.

This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.