By
Jeremiah Rogers
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| Chorn Sina and her husband with safe drinking water in their home in Paknam village, Kampong Cham © Lien Aid/2015 |
Chorn
Sina and her husband are tobacco farmers in Paknam village, a rural community
of just over 1,000 families along Touch River in Kampong Cham Province. They
live in a simple wooden house with their 10-year-old daughter.
The
area in which the family lives is prone to flooding, which can contaminate
water sources. The groundwater is also contaminated with arsenic, a tasteless
poison that can cause irreversible health problems. Sina and her husband used
to gather firewood regularly from a nearby forest, to boil their water in an
effort to make it safe to drink. “Gathering wood to boil water took us several
hours every week,” explains Sina, “and we spent less time working on our farm
and with our family.” Now, Sina and her family have easy access to affordable
clean water.
Sina
and her husband dry tobacco leaves at the base of their traditional elevated
house. Sitting on the open slat floor, a cool breeze moves air through the
building keeping it comfortable in the baking heat. Paknam village is entirely
composed of houses like this, with a small dirt road running the length of the
community.
In
the upcoming harvest season Sina plans to buy even more water – up to one
bottle every day – so that she can provide it to people who help them harvest
tobacco. Sina also tells her friends and family that the water makes her feel
healthier than boiled river or well water. “We like that we can inspect the
water treatment plant at any time. It makes us feel confident that what we buy
is not just untreated well water.”
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| Community water entrepreneur Si Mean at the UNICEF-supported water treatment plant in Paknam village © Lien Aid/2015 |
Inside
the community water treatment plant works Si Mean, Paknam’s community water
entrepreneur. Covered under a pink plastic sheet are dozens of 20-litre
bottles, filled with water that has just been treated. The treatment system
begins with two large tanks where a series of filters remove large pieces of
dirt and excess iron to ensure the water will have a good taste. The water is
then pumped through a UV (ultra-violet light) treatment system which takes out
tiny particles of dirt and kills bacteria. The water is then completely treated
and safe to drink.
Mean
is responsible for maintaining the water treatment system and for on-site water
testing. She pays a monthly fee to the commune council – which owns the
facility – for maintenance and to send water samples to a laboratory in Phnom
Penh for rigorous testing. Both Mean and members of the council are trained in
maintenance of the system and water testing methods.
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| Si Mean shows her daily records of bottle sales © Lien Aid/2015 |
Mean
keeps detailed handwritten notes on bottle sales every day. Over the past three
weeks, she has sold an average of 71 bottles of treated water per day and
generated about $525 in revenue. Like many people in the village, Mean was a
tobacco farmer before taking her new role. “We sell about 2,100 bottles every
month,” she says, “but I hope that will continue to grow because we can produce
four times as much water.”
Sales
so far are strong for Mean, with 15% of families in Paknam village already
buying water from her. Commune Chief Kaem Boteng is happy with the sales so far
and hopes that they will continue to grow in the future. “We think the progress
is good so far but I would like it if all families bought water from the
plant.” With enthusiastic customers like Sina spreading the word about
affordable safe drinking water to friends and neighbours, this community water
treatment plant looks to have a very bright future.
Jeremiah
Rogers works for Lien Aid, a UNICEF partner
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