The Sweetness of Water

Dear Friends:

Today we pumped water into the fish test tanks. It has taken a very long time.

More than a year ago a group from Singapore helped lay the slab for the first set of test fish tanks. We didn't have a water supply yet and needed a well and pumps. The tanks got built and slowly filled with rain water.

Last summer I put small catfish in them which grew, breeded and then the water got thick enough till you could walk on it.

Then I got some hyacinth started, and that began to clean and cool the water. This helped a lot and provided a protective cover and compost because the water hyacinth grew incredibly fast as it is known to do.

Finally we got funding for pumps and well digging and we have been working on that for over a month now, interupted by rains that seemed out of season.

Last few days after many obstacles I got the dredge pump working and pumping and we began pumping water from eight meters to make more room for the workers, as we are going to twenty five meters at least. The well is more than five meters across.

The well will need to have a volume of water sufficient to feed a resevoir tank which can keep up with a maximum of 90 fish tanks and the vegetable watering needs of the host village during the dry season since they have no water supply for use around their huts in an otherwise fertile area. This is a relocated village. Digging will last at least for another twenty days. Finally the hole will be covered and the final piping installed to the test tanks. A drain and cleanout system for those is being installed now. There are five test tanks. If all goes well we will be adding to these for a supply of fish for the Akha mountain villages plus a few for sale locally, which the host village will manage for an income for their families.

******

Two videos will be available on the video page in a day or two, Akha.org is back up.

http://www.akha.org/akha_video.htm

The videos are on a serious nature. One is about the forced relocation of Joh Hoh Akha village near Phrao in Chiangmai Province. The Joh Hoh Akha video in particular is long, because it has much to tell. It is narrated. Download accordingly. We were not informed about this village relocation until the situation had already become a mess. Joh Hoh Akha lives in a beautiful area.

The second video is about the Maesai war and all the equipment in town.

Troops borrowed my downstairs for three days and just moved out today. Not sure what about, the bridge does not reopen, but things at the border still touchy. Thai Airforce jets now making visits to the border area here.

Nothing visible on the Burma side, hardly anyone moves at all.

*****

We will also be seeing the web site related to the "Drug War" and how it effects the lives of the Akha continue to grow. There is much good reading there, books about the history of drug production in this region and they hypocrisies involved. You may be surprised at what you find.

*****

The military buildup in the region continues, showing there is not a shortage of money, humvees running about everywhere, yet no likelihood that simple concepts of poverty reduction in the villages and respect of the need for rice farming land will be recognized or applied soon.

For these are very important regional security issues for everyone of these villages.

Bunkers in the ground with sandbags would suggest the military problems here are not over.

We encourage you to contact your near Thai embassy about assurances that PTT (petroleum authority of Thailand) does not continue to plant pine and that the Akha people will be allowed to continue farming rice, while a spirit of forestry cooperation rather than mandate is built.

Matthew McDaniel
Thailand