Clean Water for Chombak Bai village in Tbeng commune, about 70km from Siem Reap - Cambodia

Chombak Bai is a village in Tbeng Commune located about 35 kilometers from Sophy Village. Unlike the villages in Kontreang and Knar Pur Communes, Chombak Bai is in an area in which hard bedrock (limestone) is just beneath the surface. This makes the drilling of water wells exceedingly difficult, and given the impermeability of this rock, even after these expensive wells are drilled they are usually incapable of producing much water.

A spring flows clean water from a limestone ridge that overlooks the village (see photo), and in the dry season this is where all water used by the village must come. Unfortunately, because of this the villagers must walk 1-2 kilometers through heavy brush, braving poisonous snakes and possible land mines, in order to carry clean water back to the village. Due to the difficulty involved, this means that all water carried from the mountain was used only for drinking and cooking.

In September 2013, with a $2,085 contribution from Friends From Oklahoma, HVTO purchased 5 Kilometers of PVC pipe from the local market. Overseen by the HVTO Founder, Sim Piseth and Mr. Narun Van, the men from Chombak Bai laid out and buried a water gathering system using this pipe. To complete the distribution system within the village itself additional pipe was later purchased using $525 from the HVTO General Fund. Click to see the video presentation.

The improvement that has been made to the lives of the people from Chombak Bai is dramatic. Because the spring flows year-round they now have water to not only meet their home needs, but now have enough to raise cattle and grow vegetables, even in the dry season.

 

With this single venture HVTO was able to bring clean water to about 460 people in this village and greatly improve the quality of their lives. The project is now self-sustaining with the villagers assuming responsibility for maintaining and repairing the pipeline system, as well as replacing any sections that become damaged.

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