Empowering the Embera Indians through Ground Water, Southern Darién Province, Panama

The Embera Indians of Panama’s remote southern Darién Province face daunting challenges with respect to safe drinking water. The isolation of their villages (near the Colombian border, with no roads to the outside world) exacerbates their plight. To assist the Embera in their efforts to acquire potable water and the knowledge to obtain it themselves, a team from Lifewater International (www.lifewater.org) was invited to assess the situation, make recommendations and, if feasible, initiate training for the Embera in well drilling, well completion, and pump installation and repair. A survey trip revealed that a potable ground water supply was likely, and, after approval from Lifewater, the team raised $30,000 to acquire materials and ship them to the comarca (reservation): a portable drilling rig, tools, mud pump, drilling mud, cement, 500 feet (150 m) of 4-inch (10 cm) ID PVC pipe, three hand pumps, and two submersible pumps. After the materials had been received, a four-man team (Loring Green, Robert Jarrett, Craig Woodring, and Michael E. Campana) from Lifewater spent two weeks training a six-man Embera team how to: operate and maintain the LS-100, a small, portable mud-rotary drilling rig manufactured by Lone Star Drill Bit Company (www.lonestarbit.com); complete wells; and emplace hand pumps and small electric submersible pumps. During the training, the Embera team successfully completed two wells in two villages, and two of the Embera team members rapidly acquired facility in the operation and maintenance of the LS-100. After the completion of the trip, the Lifewater team planned a another training trip to focus on pump manufacture and marketing; however, the Colombian civil war intervened, spilling over into the southern Darién Province and rendering the region unsafe not only for the Lifewater team, but also for the Embera. Recently, a member of the Lifewater team established contact with the Embera and learned that their team and equipment are still functioning after over eight years. Members of the original Lifewater team are formulating plans to return to Panama, assist in any repairs that need to be made, and finish the training. The presentation will conclude with an assessment of lessons learned and advice to those who wish to undertake water and sanitation projects in remote regions of developing countries.