Leither Village Water Well

The water well drilling season finishes as the rains begin in South Sudan.

J.B. Drilling Company’s final two water wells (boreholes) of the season were drilled  for Leither village in South Sudan.

It was an exciting time as the big trucks and giant drill lumbered down the road through Rumbek town destined for the Baptist compound.
As the sun drops lower in the sky,

eighteen men and three women unload from the vehicles and start setting up camp. The team is no stranger to the challenges of humanitarian work in South Sudan. They have been bringing water to villages in the region for 30 years. Today they work on behalf of their partner organization, Baptist Global Response.

As the men unload the trucks and pitch their tents, the women begin preparing the evening meal. In this place, the nights are very dark; everything must be ready before the sun sets. The men must rest well tonight for tomorrow work begins on one of two new boreholes for Leither village.

The water table is quite high in much of the Lakes State, especially around Rumbek.  One hole was drilled at 60 meters and the other at 48 meters with the dynamic water level at 21 meters.

This job was not without its difficulties; rain fell in earnest as they drilled the second hole causing the heavy trucks to be stuck at the site for three days until the sun could dry the earth enough for the drill and trucks to be driven out.  Conflict continues to plague South Sudan.  Northern areas are flooding, not with rainfall, but with refugees fleeing war torn areas along the border; some traveling many kilometers, even from across the border with North Sudan. Prices are rising due to the conflict; the scarcity of fuel (gasoline and diesel) was a problem for the drilling team.   Snakes appeared, maybe because of the rain, but probably because of the vibration of the drill and generators. “There were many snakes,” one of the team commented, “black ones,” referring to black mambas – which are deadly.

While not all of these men are believers, they know that these wells will benefit their people, the people of South Sudan, “bringing water is a good thing.”

The cost, while substantial, is not nearly as high as the benefits reaped. “The people of the village are so excited – they are so happy that water has come,” stated Malith, a guard on the compound. 

Dominic, the team leader summed it all up, “This is a good place. It is a good way to finish up the drilling season.”