New well gives new hope to village

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Joseph Kapinos
  • 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFPN) --  The Air Force-led Bagram Provincial Reconstruction Team opened a new well in the Kohi Safi valley Oct. 3 that will bring clean water to several hundred Afghans in a nearby village.

The well was finished in just under a month by the GL Construction and Logistics Group of Kabul.

Located near the village of Baba ghombakay and costing just under $9,000, the well will serve as the primary water source for more than a hundred families. The well-opening gives the village elders hope as they will have clean water for the winter season and beyond.

The district chief and the village leader spoke of how the villagers normally had to make a 500-meter trek down to the local river to get water. Sometimes it was flowing well with mountain run-off, but lately had slowed to a trickle. Also, occasionally the river would be full of mud and would be undrinkable for days, they said.

Now clean water will always be available close to the village.

Completing the well was just one step planned for the remote village. Now that clean water is available, there are plans to construct another well on the other side of the village, along with a school and medical clinic.

The members of the PRT are dedicated to each project they undertake and see each completed project as a small part of the success they have enjoyed in the last six months.  

Army Maj. Don Johnson, Parwan Province PRT team leader, said the team was not just looking at individual projects such as opening wells or roads, but also at developing systems for the countryside.

"In the early part of this reconstruction effort, the civil affairs teams were more concerned with 'hearts and minds' type projects," he said. "If the village wanted a well, they gave them a well.

"Now we are more interested in working with local provincial governments as well as the villages to determine what projects will benefit not only the village, but also the district," said Major Johnson. "We look more for systems of wells and roads, not just individual projects."

Speaking at length to the village elders, Major Johnson spoke of the time and effort still needed to rebuild the country.

"For the country to prosper, it's going to take time, money and hard work," said Major Johnson.

"We all need to be patient, but soon Afghanistan will be again free and prosperous," he said.