Sunday 13 July 2008

Having talked about it for so long I have finally seen it!

Many of you will have seen the video we showed before we left the UK called 'Water is Life,' about a 15km irrigation canal in Tomoyo that is improving the life's of over 500 families. Well on the 26th and 27th June I got to go and see this project for myself and it is indeed impressive. I was there to help my boss Sergio and an engineer from the office Pablo to check the main canal for any maintenance and repair work that was necessary.


Over the day and a half that we where there we walked the first 10km from the source of the canal set in a deep sided valley, following it along valley side, part of a road that FH has made (another part of FH's work helping to improve the infrastructure in the areas where we work), over aqueducts and out into a wide valley where the families that are benefiting from the canal live. It was also good to be able to give some advice that Sergio and Pablo took on board. I think this was helped by seeing things in a different way from them. At present there is not much growing in the fields as it is winter time here, but I'm told that if I return in October/November time then it will be a different story with green fields and the irrigation system in full flow.
This photo was taken standing by the month of the canal.
This is a bit further down river if you look on the right side of the valley you can is the road cut into the side of the hill that FH made.
Pablo and Ed on the main canal.
Another part of FH's work in Soil conservation building terrances to help reduce erosion.
On of the aquaducts we crossed as we followed the canal route
Sergio and Ed at a secondary canal that takes the water to the fields of some of the families benefiting from the project.

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