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Friday, 30 November 2007 |
Darkhan Hills High Security Prison officially opened its new well on Tuesday November 27 2007. This well project was initiated by Prison Fellowship Mongolia in conjunction with Bayanzurkh 100 Rotary Club of Ulaanbaatar. Klik here for evaluation report
Rotary International has been focusing on clean water supplies around the world and in 2006 Japanese visitors to Mongolia from Osaka Rotary Clubs successfully raised matching finance to sponsor this Darkhan Hills Prison Well.
Funds were received from Japanese Rotary Clubs:
* Moriguchi Evening Rotary Club
* Shijonawate 600 Rotary Club Osaka
* Chayamachi Rotary Club
* Ibaraki-West District 2660
And The International Rotary Foundation and BayanZurkh 100 RC of UB
The outstanding need was to drill a 100 metre deep well at the prison site. This was confirmed by the authorized State Hydrology report. The well needed to be deep enough to by-pass the saltish chalk strata of the local ground formation. Prisoners were carry ing water from a river 12 kms away from the Prison. Prisoners needing at least 5.0 tonne water per day but they could carry only 2.5 tonne water for 2 days by truck. The benzine and truck maintenance costs made the water supply very expensive. Also this amount of water supplied only drinking and food usage. There was not enough water for shower and laundry purposes.
Prisoners and Prison staff health suffered from the lack of fresh drinking water. Prisoners were using river water for drinking which was of poor quality and not fresh, giving gastric complaints and medical resources are always very limited.
John Stampfl, Secretary of BayanZurkh 100 Rotary Club Ulaanbaatar, Margaret Currie and G Purevsuren of Prison Fellowship Mongolia travelled to Darkhan Hills Prison to attend the official opening and present the sponsors' wall plaque. We congratulated the Prison Director Colonel B Khosbayar and prison staff for the efficient implementing of the project and the inmates who worked hard to make the project successful . Col Khosbayar expressed thanks to the sponsors of the well for the great improvement to the prison conditions with the clean water supply. He offered the visitors a glass of the well water to drink on the spot. All agreed it was good. He said that the prisoners still have to carry the water from the well to the prison zone but next year he hoped that water could be pumped to increase its availability to everyone, especially to the prison hospital and kitchen. The next project would be the construction of a warm water bath house for the 350 inmates.
It is hoped that representatives of the Japanese Sponsoring Rotary Clubs of Osaka will visit this prison in 2008 Submitted by Margaret Currie Prison Fellowship Mongolia |
