Downstream Canal Excavation
Though the concrete work on the water gate is completed, there are still a few construction issues remaining for us to take care of over the next few months. Chai began work on the excavation of the downstream canal yesterday and instead of hiring an expensive excavator that would probably sink in the ground once or twice a day, the work will be carried through by local laborers from the community of Balangk. Chai has hired twenty laborers and one foreman to dig the new pathway that will allow the downstream flow to merge with its original stream, O Ta Bet. Hiring manual labor allows us to help employ locals in the villages we work with, providing work opportunities that are hard to come by.There is also rip-rap and gravel installation work to be done for the water gate wing walls and upstream toe embankment slope. In addition, stop logs still need to be ordered and placed in the water gate. We believe the work will be completed in less than a month’s time.
The first of many Human Translation t-shirts have also been delivered. We are sending most back to the US for our fundraising volunteers, but many of the residents of Balangk who have worked closely with us for the past few years deserve them just as much. Our first recipient was of course Met Sin, the hardworking and talented farmer who lives closest to the reservoir. Below is a picture of Met Sin with the HT shirt posing with Ceda.
