OA is in the Nagaland news
Operation Agri's support for a village water project has made the news in Nagaland, North East India - featuring in the Naga Post newspaper on 30 January!
People living in the remote Naga village of Akumen, near the Burma border, are set to receive a reliable water supply this year, thanks to the efforts of Southwick Christian Community Church, West Sussex and to Operation Agri. Nagaland is one of the few Christian states in India.
The Southwick church, which has a member who is from Nagaland, has taken an interest in Akumen, a Christian village, since 2004, and has helped them with development projects. Southwick pastor Lynda Hulcoop said: 'Government funding in Nagaland is extremely limited, but the people are very hospitable and generous with a deep Christian faith.'
Last year, church representatives approached Operation Agri to ask for finance to help the 500-population Akumen village have a reliable water supply, to back their efforts in providing health, education and income-producing projects for their own people. Operation Agri has agreed to provide 80% of the costs, around £3000, the exact sum dependent on the kind of pump which proves to be necessary for the project to succeed.
Original project research around Akumen was undertaken by BMS worker Tony Sykes into water source springs, water head (height of water source above the village), type and quality of pipes, tank sitings, and type of water pump. A working installation is confidently expected to be in place later this year. The plan is to distribute the supply to four different parts of the village for villagers' ease of access.
During a visit by a group from the Southwick church in January, guttering on the village church was connected to a water tank, to provide an interim supply of water.
It is hoped that as this village develops and is better resourced, it can help other villages improve their water supplies, bringing great benefits to the whole area.
