Aug. 25, 2008, Khairo Dero: Ali Hasan Mangi Memorial Trust began installation of 115 hand pumps in the poorest households in the village of Khairo Dero, district Larkana, in Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh.

Arif Habib Ltd. very generously donated the funds for the project, for which Ali Hasan Mangi Memorial Trust is most grateful. The estimated project cost is about 500,000 rupees. Each hand pump costs about 4,500 rupees. This includes the cost of the hand pump, the pipes and other material and labor and transport. The villagers contributed the cost of housing and feeding the laborers as part of our plan to encourage community participation. The installation is being done by Javed Boring Works in Larkana.

Ali Hasan Mangi Memorial Trust spent two months conducting a detailed survey of all the households in the village in order to determine those most in need. Lists of households were prepared and revised thrice to compile a comprehensive tally. Only those households were selected which had no hand pumps and had to rely on either scarce community pumps or the generosity of neighbors.

Two teams of three workers each complete the installation of one or two hand pumps per day. Potable water is available about 60 to 70 feet below the ground in the village.

The installation of the hand pumps began on Aug. 24 and is expected to be completed by mid-October. That will mean many families will have access to clean drinking water during the holy fasting month of Ramadan. The people of Khairo Dero send their deepest gratitude to our donors for their support.