In January 2008, Operation Blessing (OB) opened 31 new wells in Thailand’s dry north-east. This vast and arid area, commonly know as Isaan, is home to a large percentage of Thailand’s rural and farming communities. The lives and livelihoods of these people rely on a consistent supply of fresh clean water which OB’s Living Water Well Project helps to provide.

The process to drill the new wells began back in November 2007, with the OB Well Project Team surveying and selecting suitable locations where people were desperately in need of fresh clean water. In December 2007, the drilling process began and the wells were drilled to a depth of between 30 to 60 meters. A plaque was prepared and placed at each site in appreciation of the OB Living Water Well donor who paid for the well.

From the 19th to 27th January 2008, OB staff conducted dedication ceremonies with the local villagers at each of the 31 new well sites. There were many smiles, heart-felt words of gratitude, and even some tears of joy during the ceremonies. Nuu Dang Yortchai, an elderly lady from Narm Tang Village in Ubon Ratchatani Province expressed gratitude on behalf of her village, “We thank God for this well. In the past it was so difficult for us because we had to travel all the way to the next village if we wanted drinking water. We had to bathe in a filthy pond that had very little water because there was nowhere else to wash. Now that we have this well, our lives are much better. We are so grateful to now have clean fresh water to use for bathing and drinking.”

A total of 261 wells and water systems have been provided since the project began in Thailand in the year 2000, providing more than 75,000 villagers with access to fresh clean water.