We are on this trip to learn about how we can help bring a sustainable supply of pure drinking water to the villages of Hei Tu Keng, Li Ming, and Ye Er Zhuang. These are located in Yanchi County in the northeast part of the NingXia Hui Autonomous Region. This will likely be the first of multiple projects, as there are many villages in the area and water is scarce (we are in the desert)
The groundwater (what there is of it) in the immediate area is heavy with arsenic and fluoride. These are both naturally occurring in the soil and therefore in the water. When people use water heavy with fluoride, their bones become misshapen, especially in the fingers. We learned that because this happens to so many people in a community, the people come to expect that it should happen as part of the aging process.
When arsenic is present (assuming it is not in a fatal dose), it tends to promote skin cancer. In the desert, this is obviously a big problem.
We will travel today (7:00 am here in Yinchaun) to several of the villages, to a school, and a clinic. We will also look at the water source that has been developed, and that we are looking to bring into the villages.
The desert from the plane.
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