Last year, when the US Air Force was at my health center doing all the remodeling work, I spoke the military coordinator who told me about a team of Navy Seabee well specialists currently in Cambodia. The health center has an operating well, but it was noticed that there was also an abandoned well on the site.

I have never been able to clarify why the well was abandoned, but what I did learn is that it is deeper and holds more water than the current newer well, which occasionally runs dry leaving the health center, staff, and patients without water. I submitted a proposal, and in January, a small team of US Navy Seabees arrived and spent several days with us refurbishing the well.

The well received a new hand pump and an electric pump. 

With a lot of dedicated digging, no easy task in this sun baked hard dry season dirt, heat, and humidity, the well also received plumbing to tie it into the current water system.

Now, if the primary well runs dry, the new pump on the old well can back feed the water system.

Now, if the power goes out, which happens frequently, their is still a source of water. A big thanks for the humanitarian efforts of the US Seabees increasing the capacity of my health center to serve it’s community.

… hopefully we will see the Seabees back soon. I’m working on getting them to help me out with some projects at the local High School.