By the time we walked back to the village, the drilling company had arrived and had already determined the location of water on our 17 acre property. The company manager, Pharesh, used copper divining rods to pinpoint the water source. The method is thousands of years old, and I asked Pharesh why his company still used the rods to locate water instead of a modern method. His response? “It’s our traditional way.” He gave me a demonstration, and I was amazed. He loosely held a thin, L shaped copper rod in each hand. As he walked along the path, the rods would move by themselves and eventually cross each other once the water source had been located. It was fascinating.
Water was found at 40 meters, but the company continued to add pipe to the level of 60 meters. We wanted to make certain that the bore hole was deep enough and wouldn’t collapse. Many of the villagers had gathered to watch the drilling. This was a momentous occasion. 5 villages (approx.. 150-200 people) were pumping their water from one bore hole. Our well would ease the burden for scores of women who currently spend the better part of their day waiting in line at the pump. I was deeply moved by the joy and hopeful relief I saw on their faces. Once the drilling crew started pumping water, everyone cheered and eagerly reached out their hands just to get a taste. As Doreen continued to remind me, “The people are so excited because water has come to them, and water is life!”
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| meters and meters of sleeve pipe (lower left of photo) will be placed into the ground to stabilize the bore hole. |
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Surya Drilling - the Water Kings of Chipata. I love their slogan.  |
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| The drilling company using the water to level out the cement base to the bore hole. It was hard to get the villagers to understand that the pump wouldn't be available for regular use until Friday (3 long days of waiting). |
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| Johnson Lungu, our literacy school teacher, getting the first drink from our newly installed bore hole. Everyone said the water tasted sweet - no trace of salt. Praise the Lord for his goodness to us! |
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| Pharesh and me. His company did such a great job with the installation. |
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| The drilling rig was enormous. |
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