LOCATION:
Yom Maejanoi, Mae Hong Son, Thailand
Approximately miles (950 km) N of Bangkok, close proximity to the Myanmar border.
COMMUNITY DETAILS:
Yom, or “Village”, Maejanoi is comprised of people whom have moved down from the upper mountain region, with a majority being a part of the Karen tribe. The village is considered centralized, as all homes are within walking distance of the next. As of the project initiation, there was a population of approximately 200 people.
The community was in need of water management and regulation, primarily containment and distribution – both for drinking and sanitation. The community primarily got its water from a mountain stream across from the village, which was piped to the homes. However, during the long dry season this stream often dried up, leaving them to rely on government water trucks. There is another spring downhill with some flow year-round that some people would hike down to fill up buckets from.
In addition to Yom Maejanoi, the project also involves the Life Encounter Asia Foundation (LEAF). This NGO is based in Bangkok, Thailand and had been working with the community for the past few years. LEAF reached out to EWB-USA for their expertise and experience in bringing essential needs to this village.
PROJECT SUMMARY:
This project focused on the development of a system to collect and contain water and also distribution for drinking.
Historically, the community collected water in a tank-like structure, which is not efficient since water continuously seeps out. Previously, the community used PVC pipe to direct water from the nearby mountains into the village. During a brush fire, the pipes melted and had not been rebuilt. The community of Yom Maejanoi has requested EWB-USA assistance in developing and implementing an effective solution to address these issues.
Prior Travel and Project Updates
2017 (July) – Monitoring Trip Summary
Day #1
The Thailand EWB-USA team and partner NGO, LEAF, arrived safely into Maejanoi. The team came to monitor the previously built water tank system and perform an assessment for the next phase of the project. So far, the team has inspected and cleaned the tank and pump system. The team has also started taking further water sampling.
Day #2
On the second day of the trip, the Thailand EWB-USA Team and LEAF had successful meetings with the Maejanoi Phu Yai Ban, village leader, as well as with the village members. The team reported on the current status of the project as well as requested feedback about the usefulness of the water storage tank system they implemented last year. They also discussed potential options for the next phase of the project. For the next phase, the majority of the villagers voted for a distribution system that will transport water from the EWB-USA tank to each house.
Day #3
During the trip, the Thailand EWB-USA Team and LEAF spent a couple of days gathering data which will be used to inform the design of a suitable water distribution system for the Maejanoi village. Working hand in hand with volunteers from the village, team members conducted a slope and distance survey of possible system paths, performed aerial surveys, and visited local hardware stores to research construction material availability and cost.
Day #8
Before the Thailand EWB-USA Team departed Maejanoi, they were able to meet more villagers by the EWB-USA water tank which currently provides the only source of water for the entire village. Due to an unusual lack of monsoon rain, the village’s wet season mountain water source has totally dried up. Therefore, many villagers are thankful for the EWB-USA water storage tank system which now provides them access to potable water throughout the entire year. The team was also able to finally meet face-to-face with the Thai Bechtel volunteer support team. They have been instrumental in helping translate English documents to Thai and vice versa as well as provide in-country construction vendor/material research.
EWB-USA team and community members in front of 40,000-liter storage tank.
PROJECT ADOPTION DATE:
June 2014 (South Houston/JSC Professional Chapter)
PROJECT STATUS:
Closed
In March 2016, the EWB-USA team installed a 40,000-liter storage tank. As of November 2023 the tank was still in use and serves a portion of the community.
Teamwork during the 2016 implementation trip.
Additional installations were completed in May 2016 (water pumps and piping from the water source) and November/December 2019 (elevated tower construction and household distribution piping installation) to develop a spring source and install a distribution system. While initially successful, the infrastructure was ultimately not sustainable long-term due to ongoing community ownership and cost issues.
Entire EWB-USA team, plus NGO and contractor in front of tower construction.
The project was closed out in January 2024 without plans for any future work.
TEAM LEADS:
- Tom Bryan – Project Co-Lead
- Andrew McNeill – Project Co-Lead
- Giana Morini – Project Co-Lead
- Mai Lee Chang – Project Co-Lead
- Jonathan Koenighain – Project Co-Lead
- Elaine Schroeder – Project Co-Lead