Help They Need Water Now

[farang62]

Hi George,

How do we help these people NOW, The government and NGO's are useless. Help, what can we do,NOW

There are many areas at Phangna in simular situations, just not tourist destioations so no help and piles of paper work, they need to drink water NOW not in a few days. I can not make a Sea Water Recovery Unit in this short of a time. They need help NOW.

Thanks

Farang62

The island is Koh Mook, in Trang province. There is a resort on the island with a deep water well to supply water for the resort. However, the villages on the island (400 families) do not have access to that water (probably because it is only sufficient for the resort’s own use). However, this create a misunderstanding on the availability of drinking water.

Outside of the resort, the wells are plenty but very shallow (3-7 m). Due to the dry season all the wells are pretty much empty, and, because of the tsunami, most of those wells are salty anyway. Bottom line is that there is no source of fresh water on the island that these guys can use.

The only widely available source of water is sea water.

There is a volunteer called Pat on the island (090093524) who pays every day about 10,000 baths of his own pocket to bring water on the island. He will be able to do so for another few days before his money runs out.

The Red Cross of Trang and the national Red Cross have been informed of the problem, are now very deep in red tape activities and are basically doing nothing efficient on the ground in any way. After spending a significant amount of time on the phone and in person with those guys, I have come to the conclusion that they are unable to provide any emergency response to an emergency situation.

I found water company with an used RO machine for 150,000 baths and an organization willing to pay 150,000 baths that RO system. I was supposed to go pick up the system and install it this morning. Unfortunately, the Water company overcommited themselves on the abilities of their machine, and it is just not able to handle sea water at all.

That means that 150,000 baths can be gotten on a very short term basis for a machine (but not to buy water), and I can handle more money for an emergency solution using other associations. So if you can find a RO machine that does the job now, I can get the money for it.

I am fully aware that huge amounts of money have been raised by large organizations such as the Red Cross, for which 150000 is a drop in the sea. However, the fact remains that I have not seen them do anything with it, in any of the locations I have worked in, which includes Pang Nga, Krabi and Trang, and seem completely unable to do something « now », so I have given up on them as being an emergency solution. Probably they can be gotten to pay for the long term, but a short term solution must be implemented in the next 2 days, regardless of who pays for it.

There is a possibility of drilling 2 deep wells on the island, but that takes time too, and although it is most likely the best long term solution, it doesn’t solve the problem of getting drinkable water now.

Anything you can do to either find a RO machine or bring fresh water to the island is most welcome.

[TizMe]

How hard can it be donating a water purification plant?

By Wally Waterman www.crikey.com.au/

17 January 2005

I thought you might be interested in this small piece of information regarding the generosity of one Australian and difficulty he has had in actually getting either private or government sponsored charities to accept his reasonably significant $250 000 gift to the Tsunami victims.

The person in question, Mark Tisdell, owns and operates a company called Prime Pumps and when he saw the extent of the disaster he wanted to do something practical to help. As fresh water seemed to be one of the most critical problems he decided to donate a water purification plant capable of purifying up to 19000 litres per day of salt water, contaminated water or polluted water. The resulting product from the plant is pure enough not just for drinking but for use in hospitals, etc.

The plant itself sits in a shipping container, has its own power supply and is air transportable. In addition to the plant Mark decided to include the services of two technicians to run and maintain the plant as well as any spare parts and chemicals needed for its operation for the duration of the mission.

Once he had put together his package he contacted Care Australia with his offer and was suitably dumbfounded when it was refused,

apparently they work on a cash only basis. Showing a tremendous knowledge of the workings of their fellow aid agencies they told him to call The Australian Red Cross who also told him they would prefer cash but if he wanted to he could submit his package when their 'Water

Purifiers were put out for Tender'. No amount of pointing out that there was no need for tender when something was free would change that organization's mind.

The next port of call was the Government sponsored AusAid who were happy to 'put it on their books for any future need.'

His final port of call was the UN in New York who advised him to contact the UN in Indonesia. He did so on three occasions and on all three occasions he was told that such equipment was desperately needed and somebody would call him back. I realise somebody is very busy at the moment but when every report I see about the Tsunami starts 'Fresh water is desperately needed' I begin to wonder.

After running into all those dead ends Mark asked me to assist him while he kept trying at his end. I wasn't sure if I believed his tale of woe until I contacted World Vision, the UNHCR and The Salvation Army with no success. The UNHCR were probably the most notable in that I left a message with an operator who clearly had no real idea of what I was talking about and said someone would call me back. That someone called me back the next day and spoke to my wife and without asking a single question about the equipment said 'We don't need it'.

Charming. As Mark's business is based in Brisbane I thought I would try the Premier's office but all they could do was give me a number to call yet that night I watched incredulously as the Deputy Premier announced on Television that the Queensland Government (Why don't they say Queensland people through their Government?) were sending a significant aid package. The contact number I was given by the way belonged to Emergency Management Australia and they haven't bothered to return my call.

Finally Mark found someone who jumped at the chance to get the Purification equipment and use it on the ground in Aceh, fortunately for the victims of the Tsunami the European Red Cross seem to be more interested in immediate action rather than merely raising tons of cash and wondering what to do with it next. So the Equipment will be going to Aceh on an Antanov with the European Red Cross.

Mark himself doesn't give a hoot about the who and the why as long as it gets there and saves people's lives but to me it beggars belief that $250 000 donated by a philanthropist in Australia now becomes part of the European relief effort.

The European Red Cross have told us that at the moment most of the ground water in Aceh, including fresh water creeks and streams cannot be purified by normal means such as boiling, filtration or purification tablets because the wave went so far inland that much of the water is brackish and is expected to remain that way while salt continues leeching from the soil. (I haven't heard that on the news.)

The advantage of the reverse osmosis method offered by the plant being donated by Mark is that it filters all water, including salt water, and the Red Cross have up to 5 possible sites for it. By the way they are still as confused as we are as to why no Australian charity would take it and their Director General has called Mark twice to ask him if he really means to send two men with it (It will be Mark and one other). That's the good news, now the strange news.

I mentioned before that of the two government agencies contacted, AusAid and Emergency Management Australia, the former had quite bizarrely offered to 'put the water purification plant on their books for future use' and that the later hadn't bothered to call back. Since then a representative of Emergency Management Australia has been in contact with Mark, the delay was apparently due to the large number of calls. As the delay was three days I wouldn't want to have been calling that number for something really important like, oh I don't know - fresh water for the Tsunami victims.

Mark explained the situation to the individual concerned who was astounded that AusAid hadn't accepted the equipment. He asked if Mark would be prepared to put something together detailing his experience with AusAid but Mark said that he had no wish to get involved in inter departmental battles. Intriguingly Mark has since had five (5) calls from people at AusAid of increasingly higher rank all along the lines of 'we have corporate memory of your offer but no record, we have been busy and people do get confused, mistakes are made, we'll learn from this, it won't happen in the future, we'll leave it at that.'

Mark has told all of them that he won't be leaving it at that which is probably why he continues to get phone calls and those phone calls come from people ever higher up the tree - it will be Sir Humphrey next.

[chuchok]

Hi George,

How do we help these people NOW, The government and NGO's are useless. Help, what can we do,NOW

There are many areas at Phangna in simular situations, just not tourist destioations so no help and piles of paper work, they need to drink water NOW not in a few days. I can not make a Sea Water Recovery Unit in this short of a time. They need help NOW.

Thanks

Farang62

The island is Koh Mook, in Trang province. There is a resort on the island with a deep water well to supply water for the resort. However, the villages on the island (400 families) do not have access to that water (probably because it is only sufficient for the resort’s own use). However, this create a misunderstanding on the availability of drinking water.

Outside of the resort, the wells are plenty but very shallow (3-7 m). Due to the dry season all the wells are pretty much empty, and, because of the tsunami, most of those wells are salty anyway. Bottom line is that there is no source of fresh water on the island that these guys can use.

The only widely available source of water is sea water.

There is a volunteer called Pat on the island (090093524) who pays every day about 10,000 baths of his own pocket to bring water on the island. He will be able to do so for another few days before his money runs out.

The Red Cross of Trang and the national Red Cross have been informed of the problem, are now very deep in red tape activities and are basically doing nothing efficient on the ground in any way. After spending a significant amount of time on the phone and in person with those guys, I have come to the conclusion that they are unable to provide any emergency response to an emergency situation.

I found water company with an used RO machine for 150,000 baths and an organization willing to pay 150,000 baths that RO system. I was supposed to go pick up the system and install it this morning. Unfortunately, the Water company overcommited themselves on the abilities of their machine, and it is just not able to handle sea water at all.

That means that 150,000 baths can be gotten on a very short term basis for a machine (but not to buy water), and I can handle more money for an emergency solution using other associations. So if you can find a RO machine that does the job now, I can get the money for it.

I am fully aware that huge amounts of money have been raised by large organizations such as the Red Cross, for which 150000 is a drop in the sea. However, the fact remains that I have not seen them do anything with it, in any of the locations I have worked in, which includes Pang Nga, Krabi and Trang, and seem completely unable to do something « now », so I have given up on them as being an emergency solution. Probably they can be gotten to pay for the long term, but a short term solution must be implemented in the next 2 days, regardless of who pays for it.

There is a possibility of drilling 2 deep wells on the island, but that takes time too, and although it is most likely the best long term solution, it doesn’t solve the problem of getting drinkable water now.

Anything you can do to either find a RO machine or bring fresh water to the island is most welcome.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would suggest that you call the American/English Embassey..failing that, call some of the foreign Armed forces that are on the ground in Thailand already helping out.

[snoophound]

Yes its remarkable when you want to provide something real and useful you get a we only take cash only arguement.

I avoid giving to these charities as their overheads are so high for paying bueraucrats to get in the way of good ideas.

The UN wastes billions a year.

I remember in Dili at the height of the problems 5 years ago.

No power,no water and the only blaze of lights in the place at night was the UN offices which were empty after hours with aircon running all night!!!

Hi George,

How do we help these people NOW, The government and NGO's are useless. Help, what can we do,NOW

There are many areas at Phangna in simular situations, just not tourist destioations so no help and piles of paper work, they need to drink water NOW not in a few days. I can not make a Sea Water Recovery Unit in this short of a time. They need help NOW.

Thanks

Farang62

The island is Koh Mook, in Trang province. There is a resort on the island with a deep water well to supply water for the resort. However, the villages on the island (400 families) do not have access to that water (probably because it is only sufficient for the resort’s own use). However, this create a misunderstanding on the availability of drinking water.

Outside of the resort, the wells are plenty but very shallow (3-7 m). Due to the dry season all the wells are pretty much empty, and, because of the tsunami, most of those wells are salty anyway. Bottom line is that there is no source of fresh water on the island that these guys can use.

The only widely available source of water is sea water.

There is a volunteer called Pat on the island (090093524) who pays every day about 10,000 baths of his own pocket to bring water on the island. He will be able to do so for another few days before his money runs out.

The Red Cross of Trang and the national Red Cross have been informed of the problem, are now very deep in red tape activities and are basically doing nothing efficient on the ground in any way. After spending a significant amount of time on the phone and in person with those guys, I have come to the conclusion that they are unable to provide any emergency response to an emergency situation.

I found water company with an used RO machine for 150,000 baths and an organization willing to pay 150,000 baths that RO system. I was supposed to go pick up the system and install it this morning. Unfortunately, the Water company overcommited themselves on the abilities of their machine, and it is just not able to handle sea water at all.

That means that 150,000 baths can be gotten on a very short term basis for a machine (but not to buy water), and I can handle more money for an emergency solution using other associations. So if you can find a RO machine that does the job now, I can get the money for it.

I am fully aware that huge amounts of money have been raised by large organizations such as the Red Cross, for which 150000 is a drop in the sea. However, the fact remains that I have not seen them do anything with it, in any of the locations I have worked in, which includes Pang Nga, Krabi and Trang, and seem completely unable to do something « now », so I have given up on them as being an emergency solution. Probably they can be gotten to pay for the long term, but a short term solution must be implemented in the next 2 days, regardless of who pays for it.

There is a possibility of drilling 2 deep wells on the island, but that takes time too, and although it is most likely the best long term solution, it doesn’t solve the problem of getting drinkable water now.

Anything you can do to either find a RO machine or bring fresh water to the island is most welcome.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would suggest that you call the American/English Embassey..failing that, call some of the foreign Armed forces that are on the ground in Thailand already helping out.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>