47 FEBRUARY 2025 WorldWide Drilling Resource® by Tim Rasmussen, President and Chairman, Water for Life After weeks of delay during which the container sat in the Port of Cristobal in Panama, it was finally released and put on another ship for the trip through the canal. This was a smaller ship which visited several ports in the Caribbean. One of them was Puerto Barrios in Guatemala, which was the scheduled destination of our container. Initially, it was unclear when we could expect the container in Puerto Barrios. But after several changes in the date, we received news the container had arrived in the customs yard in Puerto Barrios on October 14th. We were happy about the arrival until we were notified the container was moved into the warehouse for inspection. Always before, the inspection was of the documents to make sure all was in order while the fees were finalized and confirmed paid. There had been a time or two the container had been superficially examined and a few of the boxes opened. It seemed to us, the first six or eight feet of the container received most of the inspection and not much else. This was different. The whole container was unloaded and the contents of many of the boxes inspected. Henry, our leader in Guatemala, was allowed into the warehouse and could see some of the inspection. He took a few pictures of the process the container was being put through. Gary is meticulous about listing things on the bill of lading and making sure all the items match the items on the paperwork, but this was the first time it seemed that everything was being checked. I inquired of Henry about why this was happening, but he did not have any specific answers except to say SAT (Guatemala’s tax authority) was being much more careful and may have asked for a closer look at nonprofit organization imports or something like that. After the inspection was completed, and whatever they were looking for was found or not found, the financial penalty was set at 6000 quetzals - about $775 U.S. They said it was for taxes on new hand pumps. We never had been required to pay taxes on hand pumps, but we paid the money, received the container, and took it to our shop in Poptun. Finally, after months of travel, new regulations, new taxes, and new procedures to comply with, the cargo arrived safely on October 17th, and was unloaded in a pouring rainstorm. The inside of the container had been jumbled by the import inspection, and Henry could not immediately tell if anything was missing, but he believed everything was there. It is kind of interesting. We bring new things to give to the people who desperately need them, and the government makes us pay tax on the things we bring to give away. My personal belief is things are tightening all over the world. Shipping is more precarious; supply chains are stretched thinner; people and governments are on edge. There is increasing instability all around the world. Times are getting more difficult for all people, and the poorer the country, the more they are affected. Under the best of conditions, life in Guatemala is hard. Now it is even harder. During these times of stress, we believe the clean water that Water for Life provides to remote villages is more important than ever and we thank our many partners and contributors for their assistance. Without the help of goodhearted men, women, and companies, the suffering of the people in Guatemala would be worse. If you would like to help, contact Gary Bartholomew at 509-939-1941. Tim Tim Rasmussen may be contacted via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com WTR Boxes unloaded and opened for inspection. Phone: 845-278-1892 E-mail: NEWWEXPO@gmail.com newwassociation.org Contact: ____________________________________________________________ Address: ____________________________________________________________ State/Zip Code: ______________________________________________________ Phone & Fax : _______________________________________________________ E-mail: ______________________________________________________________ *Preregistration - $25 per person On-site Registration - $30 Spouse & Children under 16 years - FREE Registrant(s) Names: ________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Credit Card Type ________________________ Expiration Date _ _ / _ _ Credit Card # ____________________________________________________________ Complete this form and fax to: (845) 278-1899 or mail to: NEWWA c/o Markets Beyond Inc. 7 Bailey Lane, Brewster NY 10509 Preregistration NEWWA New England Water Well Assoc. Expo March 14-15, 2025 Best Western - Marlborough, Massachusetts *Preregistration Deadline: March 1, 2025
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDk4Mzk=