We’re not done in Hattitar yet! The next day, the first day of the New Year, Shelby finally got an opportunity to work with Madhu at the spring source to discuss the design, while Maddie flew the drone (almost solo now), and Seth focused on water quality testing of the spring source. This was one of the most productive days! The next day, we focused on water quality testing for Ward 4, a project co-headed by the Ward, RM, and NCDC. We used an ENPHO kit for the first time, and had a long day of walking, testing, good tea, and conversations. John, Sanju, and Biraj did some of their largests drone surveying that day as well, helping out Ward 4 of the RM. However, this was our last day with John, but Sanju and Biraj, coworkers turned great friends at this point, stayed with us in Hattitar for an extra day. The next day was a rainy day, and we were approaching the end of our time in Hattitar as well. We did our final assessment work at the spring source, which included fighting off a rather terrifying land crab, met with the Water Users Committee at the spring source, and finished off the day with a large dose of paperwork. While a little tiring, at the end of the paperwork session we were able to get the Project Partnership signed between our team, NCDC, and the Hattitar Water Users Committee. We spent the rest of our last full day relaxing in the homestay to avoid the downpour. The next day, we woke up early and said our good-byes to Kamala and her family and the community of Hattitar. Over the 10 days or so that we were there, Hattitar and the community had definitely found a place in our hearts. We were able to arrive in Ilam in the early afternoon and had an after spent walking around the tea garden and town, and the evening at a small cloud-topped restaurant with Pradeep laughing and eating momos (our team’s established favorite). The next day we took off, said our goodbyes to Shanti and Ilam, and headed quickly down to Bhadrapur airport. The plane was a little late due to weather, but we relaxed after a hectic few weeks in the airport, ate momos, and then took back off for Kathmandu. We arrived that afternoon, and made it to Rashmi’s that evening. We spent the evening with Biraj showing us parts of his hometown and going to a shopping mall.
