Forty Two Thirsty Families
About two and a half hours from Chiang Mai by four-wheeler and a very long, steep hike there’s a poor village, slowly dying of thirst. Some months there’s plenty of rain, but no reliable supply of clean water for drinking and cooking. Vin’s crew dug temporary ditches halfway up the mountain, lining them with black plastic to collect and hold the rain. They ran PVC pipes to a spigot in the village. The quick fix was good for a few weeks while the plastic held, but a permanent solution was needed. Next Vin and his friends organized college students, held meetings in Vin’s house, borrowed vehicles, and chipped in for gas and expenses. This time 25 people went to the mountain and battled mud, mosquitos and fatigue as they climbed to the summit. They surveyed the spot and made a plan: they’d build four concrete reservoirs, 15 feet square and 5 feet high, near the mountain top, to capture and hold the rain. The PCV network would be expanded and provide year-round water to