March 2017
Our foundation encountered some unfortunate circumstances, and we were very disappointed to learn from our Aeta honorary members that all six of the eight artesian wells we restored in Pampanga province dried out due to the high demand and the long dry season. Apparently, the six wells stopped supplying water in October or November. The Aeta leaders wanted to wait to see if the monsoon season would replenish the wells before informing us; they did not. The idea of restoring the broken artesian wells came about when we saw many of these wells around the Aeta villages. These wells were used during the evacuation period after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo.
Within a year, we restored eight wells; five in Floridablanca and three in Sapangbato. But six months after the restoration, six of the restored wells had dried out. We now know that they were not maintained. Therefore, it is with regret that we are abandoning the goal of restoring artesian wells and extending our apologies to the donors who helped to restore the wells.
The two artesian wells that still provide water are in Nabuklod village and Sapangbato near Target Primary School. We will continue to repair these artesian wells to ensure they are properly maintained and continue to supply water to the Aeta communities.
On behalf of the Board of Directors and all of us at the Aeta Tribe Foundation, please accept our deepest thanks for your ongoing friendship and generosity. Your support means so much to us and we are profoundly grateful to have you with us.
Approximately 5,200 Aeta people have benefited from the eight artesian wells at a total cost of $24,000, a cost of $4.62 per person. Losing six of them does not change the number of people in need. For those who must travel to an operable well for thirty minutes or so, we have provided them with 5-gallon blue plastic containers so they can continue to collect water for drinking, cooking, bathing, and growing food. This mishap had been an opportunity to forge a closer bond between the foundation and the Aeta communities. Our friendships and partnerships have gone much stronger. They now consider the Aeta Tribe Foundation to be part of the Aeta communities.
NABUKLOD VILLAGE: Because two wells have dried out in the village of Nabuklod, we have decided to restore the spring water located in:
North 15 degrees 01.028 feet
East 120 degrees 26.614 feet
This spring water source is heavily used by the villages throughout the year and is currently in use. It is not quite secure as it is muddy and could potentially be covered by a landslide, but it currently produces one liter of water per minute. During the monsoon season, this spring produces plenty of water and luckily the last monsoon did not cover it with soil. The spring is located 1049 feet below the village and the water comes out between the soil at the ground level. It is very clear and clean. The Aeta began filling their bottles and drinking the water. The next day, we cleared the area and protected the water with cement re-bar by creating a box-like container. We inserted a pipe at the bottom that will be used to collect water and an opening on the top to release water once the “box” container is full. A day later, we saw quite of bit of water coming out. We measured the water pressure and this time the water filled a one-gallon container in less than a minute.
There must have been plans to collect water in this area because not far from this spring, we found two old cement tanks that had been built. They measured 3 meters x 3 meters x 3 meters in size from the ground level to the top level at 1049 feet up. They were still in good condition and we cleaned both tanks thoroughly with chlorine. We cleared the area of the spring water for easy access and removed all the weeds and trees. We connected 2” pipes from the water source we restored to the ground level tanks to start restoring the water. Overnight, the lower cement tank filled with water.
We are currently raising funds to attach more pipes and from the lower cement tank to the top-level tank, and to possibly install a 5-horsepower pump to bring water up the 1049 feet to the top-level tank. We hope to accomplish this water project by the end of the year or by early 2018.
Within a year, we restored eight wells; five in Floridablanca and three in Sapangbato. But six months after the restoration, six of the restored wells had dried out. We now know that they were not maintained. Therefore, it is with regret that we are abandoning the goal of restoring artesian wells and extending our apologies to the donors who helped to restore the wells.
The two artesian wells that still provide water are in Nabuklod village and Sapangbato near Target Primary School. We will continue to repair these artesian wells to ensure they are properly maintained and continue to supply water to the Aeta communities.
On behalf of the Board of Directors and all of us at the Aeta Tribe Foundation, please accept our deepest thanks for your ongoing friendship and generosity. Your support means so much to us and we are profoundly grateful to have you with us.
Approximately 5,200 Aeta people have benefited from the eight artesian wells at a total cost of $24,000, a cost of $4.62 per person. Losing six of them does not change the number of people in need. For those who must travel to an operable well for thirty minutes or so, we have provided them with 5-gallon blue plastic containers so they can continue to collect water for drinking, cooking, bathing, and growing food. This mishap had been an opportunity to forge a closer bond between the foundation and the Aeta communities. Our friendships and partnerships have gone much stronger. They now consider the Aeta Tribe Foundation to be part of the Aeta communities.
NABUKLOD VILLAGE: Because two wells have dried out in the village of Nabuklod, we have decided to restore the spring water located in:
North 15 degrees 01.028 feet
East 120 degrees 26.614 feet
This spring water source is heavily used by the villages throughout the year and is currently in use. It is not quite secure as it is muddy and could potentially be covered by a landslide, but it currently produces one liter of water per minute. During the monsoon season, this spring produces plenty of water and luckily the last monsoon did not cover it with soil. The spring is located 1049 feet below the village and the water comes out between the soil at the ground level. It is very clear and clean. The Aeta began filling their bottles and drinking the water. The next day, we cleared the area and protected the water with cement re-bar by creating a box-like container. We inserted a pipe at the bottom that will be used to collect water and an opening on the top to release water once the “box” container is full. A day later, we saw quite of bit of water coming out. We measured the water pressure and this time the water filled a one-gallon container in less than a minute.
There must have been plans to collect water in this area because not far from this spring, we found two old cement tanks that had been built. They measured 3 meters x 3 meters x 3 meters in size from the ground level to the top level at 1049 feet up. They were still in good condition and we cleaned both tanks thoroughly with chlorine. We cleared the area of the spring water for easy access and removed all the weeds and trees. We connected 2” pipes from the water source we restored to the ground level tanks to start restoring the water. Overnight, the lower cement tank filled with water.
We are currently raising funds to attach more pipes and from the lower cement tank to the top-level tank, and to possibly install a 5-horsepower pump to bring water up the 1049 feet to the top-level tank. We hope to accomplish this water project by the end of the year or by early 2018.