Field Notes for March, 2015

Singapore: Celebrating World Water Day 2015 with #The Water Machine

 

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Using #The Water Machine at Singapore World Water Day.

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Singapore World Water Day drew a crowd of more than 6,000 participants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every year, the Singapore Public Utilities Board (PUB) celebrates Singapore World Water Day with community partners throughout the month of March. This year, the main event on 21 March was staged together with partners from both the private and non-profit sectors at the new Singapore Sports Hub. Lien AID was one of the 27 official partners of PUB for the event, which drew a crowd of more than 6,000 participants.

Unlike residents in Singapore who enjoy clean water at the turn of the tap, right from the comfort of their homes, obtaining clean water for most of Asia’s rural poor is a difficult task requiring an arduous walk, spending time in queues or having to make do with polluted water.

For this year’s Singapore World Water Day, we created #The Water Machine to shine the spotlight on water challenges faced by Asia’s rural poor and let people in Singapore experience a small taste of how much effort it takes for them to obtain clean water. During the 3 hour event at the Singapore Sports Hub, a total of 156 people took up our challenge at Lien AID’s #The Water Machine.

Singapore: A Partnership with the School of the Arts

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An outdoor sculpture made of over 2,000 discarded water bottles by students from the School of the Arts.

 

 

As part of our efforts to engage youths in Singapore, we also partnered with the School of the Arts to create a large outdoor sculpture for the event at the Singapore Sports Hub. Made up of more than 2,000 discarded mineral water bottles, the sculpture is a symbol of the collective will that Singapore has shown in the conservation and protection of its water sources and which is still needed to ensure residents can continue to enjoy affordable clean drinking water in the long run.

China: Training Workshop for 26 Student Village Officers

From 23rd March to 26th March, Lien AID China held a training workshop for 46 Student Village Officers and grassroots leaders in Chishui city, Guizhou Province. The workshop participants represent 35 poverty stricken villages in Yunnan, Chongqing, Hunnan and Guizhou facing clean water access challenges.

Lien AID's China team hosted workshops for 46 Student Village Officers in Chishui city, Guizhou Province, China.

Lien AID’s China team hosted workshops for 46 Student Village Officers in Chishui city, Guizhou Province, China.

The opening ceremony of the workshop was graced by leaders from the China Association for Poverty Alleviation and Development, the Guizhou Council for the Promotion of Construction in the Old Revolutionary Areas, the Zunyi Council for the Promotion of Construction in the Old Revolutionary Areas and the Guizhou-Chishui Council for the Promotion of Construction in the Old Revolutionary Areas. A simple commendation ceremony was also conducted for 9 of the Student Village Officers (representing the best 9 delivered projects) who were part of Batch 3 and Batch 4 of the Village Water Management programme in China.

The 5-day workshop delved into topics related to small – scale water project management, with a particular focus on teaching participants how to conduct needs assessment and draft water project proposals. Upon completion of the workshop, participants have an opportunity to submit water project proposals to Lien AID China. Through a rigorous evaluation and selection process that looks at urgency and severity of water need; commitment from villagers, local governments and Student Village Officers, suitable projects will then be selected for implementation as part of the 7th batch of projects delivered under the Village Water Management programme in China.

Cambodia: Soft Launching 15 sites and selecting 12 new sites for 2015

In Cambodia we soft launched and handed over 15 water treatment plants of CWE program to local communities on March 26th in Kampong Cham. You can read our full writeup on the handover here.

After handing over the 15 CWE sites this year, Lien AID has selected another twelve communes in Takeo province, Kampong Chhnang province, Pursat province and Banteay Meanchey Province for implementation of water treatment plants next year.

Local children playing in a school next to the water treatment plant.

Local children playing in a school next to the water treatment plant.

Villagers carrying recently purchased water bottles away from the treatment plant.

Villagers carrying recently purchased water bottles away from the treatment plant.

The project site's initial supply of 20 litre water bottles quickly sold out.

The project site’s initial supply of 20 litre water bottles quickly sold out.

Fifteen Completed Treatment Plants Transferred to Local Cambodians

On Thursday, March 26th Lien AID and UNICEF handed over 15 recently completed water treatment project sites at an event in Tbong Khmum province, Cambodia. The completed water treatment plants and associated infrastructure are now owned by the local communities.

The project sites in Prey Veng Province, Kampong Cham Province and Tbong Khmum Province were a collaboration between UNICEF and Lien AID and target approximately 72,000 people in 74 villages. The plants are administered by the local communes and operated by a Community Water Entrepreneur.

Approximately 500 villagers and 50 officials attended the handover including Cambodian commune chiefs, Tbong Khmum Provincial Governor Mr Prach Chan, Undersecretary of State His Excellency Theng Chan-Sangvar and the Minister from the Ministry of Rural Development His Excellency Chea Sophara.

At the event H.E. Chea stressed that charging for water is important so that people will use the water responsibly. H.E. Chea added that many of the local wells access water sources which are contaminated with arsenic, so even if people have access to water the main issue is that the existing water is not safe to drink.

UNICEF WASH chief Mr. Kabuka Banda highlighted that projects are a part of the UNICEF WASH programme arsenic mitigation response. Instead of gathering water, “women and girls who collect water for their families will save time for other chores including studying“ said Mr. Kabuka.

“We look forward to partnering with UNICEF again on the provisioning of sustainable clean water access as well as other WASH sector activities in Cambodia.” said Mr. Lian Hock, CEO of Lien AID.

A 20 litre bottle of water from the plants sells for 1,000 Cambodian Riel (about 25 cents), lower than the common 4,000 Riel cost in private markets. After the event in Pi Village, Kampong Treas commune the village water entrepreneur Mr. Math Ma El began selling water to villagers.  The initial supply of 20 litre bottles sold out in about 45 minutes.

 

Cambodia's Minister of Rural Development H.E. Chea Sophara cutting the ribbon at the opening of a new water treatment plant in Tbong Khmum province.

Cambodia’s Minister of Rural Development H.E. Chea Sophara cutting the ribbon at the opening of a new water treatment plant in Tbong Khmum province.

 

Cambodia's Minister of Rural Development H.E. Chea Sophara sampling water from the recently completed treatment plant.

Cambodia’s Minister of Rural Development H.E. Chea Sophara sampling water from the recently completed treatment plant.

 

The project site's initial supply of 20 litre water bottles quickly sold out.

The project site’s initial supply of 20 litre water bottles quickly sold out.

 

Villagers carrying recently purchased water bottles away from the treatment plant.

Villagers carrying recently purchased water bottles away from the treatment plant.