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14 Feb 2012 | Magalela Village, Zambia (-17.2983, 26.08541) |
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It recently came to my attention that I have been a little unmotivated after my dam project was literally washed away last November. As a result, I have not really kept up with my photos or blog and I apologize for that. Talking about it with other volunteers has helped so I thought I would share what I know with you: On November 10th Rasa and I took a trip to Northwest Province. At that point the rains were already two weeks late and the dam was a month behind schedule. Events like funerals, a summons from the chief, school board meetings and life just made the completion date impossible to keep. Plus, it was hard to press people on the importance of beating the rains when it is THEIR project, I could only advise. The rains came the weekend of Thanksgiving and I was not in the village to oversee the big test. From what I was told, the dam height was level with the ground but was still missing 30cm of safety freeboard and the water level was right at the top. The spillway was unfinished but large enough to allow the volume of water to bypass the dam. All was holding until a log came swashing down the creek and hit the dam, wedging itself on top. It was enough to allow a small trickle of water over the top, turning into a torrent and wiping out three months of work in 30 minutes. We will try again next season. |
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