Lum Nam Wittaya

Water is very important for living. However too much , too less and lack of water always be a problem. 

There was a big flood at Luam Nam Wittaya School in Mae La Noi District, Maehongson Province, Thailand on 26 September 2017. It was the only flood withing 36 years. The flood destroyed fish ponds, veggies beds, water tanks and frightened the four female  teachers, and 40 school kids.  The school chicken were also frighten and they stooped produce eggs for school lunch program.  

Visiting to the school twice  to survey the area, discuss and consult with village leaders, and teachers. A  project and activities were planned and agreed for this urgent need of marginal people included 40 school kids, four teachers, and 200 villagers  in the Karen village cluster named Mae La Mong Tai.

We will work together at the school to fix up the hill water system which included building two check dams, install water collectors, stream crossing, building water tanks, fix up fish ponds, install well for veggies bed. 

Hopefully.... the project will help fix up the problems both for short term and long term for the school and the village of 200 villagers.  motivate the teachers, school kids,local leaders and villagers to work for themselves, cooperate and learn more.  

Before the Flood

After the flood 

Teachers and school kids tried to fix  hill water system after the flood

The First Visit

The second visit

We got a support from a kind lady of a beverage  company supported this project. Working at the school will be during 11-14 May 2018. We have to complete the project before the rain and the school term which is 16 May 2018. 

Would like to be a part of our journey ? Kind;y contact me, there are more vulnerable schools and villages to work together in the lists which seem to be longer and longer. 

Creating a positive change together  for a sustainable development !

Maehongson...

Spent a few days  visiting to water project sites in Maehongson Province. Impressed with a peaceful,  and beautiful surrounding. Friendly people with traditional way of life. Will come back to work with them on living weir very soon.

Happy New Year 2017

Another journey

Driving down to the village some 200 kms from home is a challenge but to prove the power of communities is more challenge to me. Then I spent five days building two living weirs in a small village with no electricity and no phone signal. Feeling like living in an amazing world.

Many local people and organizations come to work together as volunteers. So it was very impressive to meet new friends and network. I was surrounded with  strangers but felt comfortable with sincere smiles and greetings.

Very lovely to walk along a small dirt way in the wood in a foggy morning to the weir site and walk back home in late evening under the beautiful moonlight.

The weirs were built to solve the problems of drought in summer and flood in rainy season. It is not just a weir but it is the tool to bring in cooperation and the belief of people power where villagers know their potential to work out their own problems.

Water security...

We recently completed our research entitled " Participation process in solving the lack of water in Lisu Wiang Klang Village, Mae Kao Tom sub- district, Chiang Rai, Thailand" and shared our research in a conference.

We belief that the small thing we work together on water security at the local level will directly or indirectly contributed to the water security of the nation at the end. I would like to share our work through a poster to all of you.

 We would like to highlight WKMODEL which particularly contributed to the success of  water security at The Lisu Wiang Klang Village. Hope it can be applied to other communities with similar context.