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June 2nd

DOGGY PADDLE by Matt Law
Talk to people about Reservoir Dogs and they will conjure up images of black suits, sunglasses, guns and colour codenames.

But the Reservoir Dogs of Phi Phi island have swapped the suits for sweaty t-shirts, the sunglasses for sun cream, the guns for shovels and everybody is Mr Brown.

As part of Hi Phi Phi’s ongoing effort to clean and re-build the island, a group of volunteers have taken on the task of flushing out the stagnant reservoir.

The project is the brainchild of Chris Hartley, who originally visited Phi Phi with his girlfriend, Gillian, on a one-day snorkeling tour but felt compelled to return.
“We both felt saddened by the lack of infrastructure and wanted to do something to help,” said Hartley, who is from Yorkshire in England.

Having worked in the army as a military civil construction engineer for 10 years and helped with water purification in Rwanda, Hartley realised something needed to be done about the reservoir.

“It was instantly apparent there was a massive health risk,” he said. "I tested the water and found it was stagnant, which can lead to typhoid and dysentery. Dengue fever was also a worry because it is passed on by mosquitoes and they breed in stagnant water.”
After drawing up a method of works on the project, Hartley got the go-ahead from Hi Phi Phi to start on his three-week plan of flushing the stagnant water, and removing the rubble and waste from the area.
But only three days into the project, Hartley was hopeful of having the task completed in half that time after receiving incredible support from volunteers.

“Before mentioning what I wanted to do at the Hi Phi Phi meeting, I already had 20 volunteers through word of mouth,” said the 29-year-old. Now we have about 35 people and they are doing an absolutely amazing job."
“I thought the first phase of getting water flowing through the damns would take a week but the guys had it done in two days.

“Some people had to be taught how to use shovels and pick-axes but the work ethic, dedication and camaraderie has been such that I would happily put them on a building site anywhere in the world.”

One of the volunteers, Paul Harman, has worked on building sites in the past and can’t believe what has been achieved with the limited resources on offer.

“Manual labour doesn’t really exist in the western world because of the machinery available,” he said. “The equipment we’ve got is virtually primitive. We have to do the job with shovels and pick-axes that keep braking. Some people have literally been working with their bare hands because the gloves rip very easily.

The effort has been amazing and I have been particularly impressed with the commitment of the ladies. They put most of the men I’ve worked with in England to shame!”
Chris and his good friend Paul.
As Hi Phi Phi we have great respect for their commitment and the enormous effort they and their team undertake for - and together
with - the Phi Phi community.