A team of humanitarian disaster relief workers has gained valuable insight into methods of digging boreholes for wells, thanks to a visit to a Bedfordshire quarry owned by Forterra.
Humanitarian aid workers and trainers from RedR UK together with students from Cranfield University’s MSc course in Water & Sanitation for Development, visited the Silsoe quarry to study the ground structure in the quarry’s walls, affording them an understanding of the types of ground they may need to excavate to sink a well in disaster relief zones around the world.
Aid workers often have to provide Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Support (WASH) at refugee camps and shelters in areas affected by war, famine or natural disasters.
Harriette Purchas, Project Co-ordinator for RedR, UK said, “This visit was tremendously helpful to our humanitarians in gaining an idea of the strata and the use of geophysical equipment in the planning of borehole drilling, which will be of benefit to their work in disaster zones. We’re grateful to Forterra for facilitating the visit and allowing us to study their quarry face.”
Founded by an engineer in 1980, RedR UK is an international charity that builds the knowledge and skills of individuals and organisations for more effective humanitarian action. From their offices in Sudan, Kenya, Jordan and the UK they work around the world, giving training or providing operational expertise to many of the leading humanitarian organisations, including Oxfam, Save The Children, World Vision, WaterAid, UNICEF, British Red Cross and Medecins Sans Frontieres.
Through training and the work of RedR UK members, they have responded to every major disaster in recent years, including the Syrian conflict, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, Typhoon Haiyan in the Phillipines, floods in Pakistan and the Haiti earthquake.
Brian Chapman, Head of Land and Mineral Resources for Forterra, said, “The work done by RedR UK and similar organisations is desperately needed in disaster zones around the world, and we were happy to allow their humanitarians and trainers to study our quarry in Silsoe.”
For more information about RedR UK, including training courses and membership programme, please visit www.redr.org.uk.