Cows, Trees, and Water Projects

Sunday morning Oleg drove me around town to explain some of the projects he's got going on.  First stop was a water project, funded by USAID through the Urban Institute's LGRP (Local Government Reform Project).  Where previously there was only one 60ft water tower fed by one deep well, there will soon be three 60ft water towers fed by three deep wells.  This should alleviate some of the shortages in water that those connected to the water system have during the summer - and perhaps more importantly lays the groundwork for other homes to be connected.

Then we drove to an empty field where he's started an orchard.  Children grow saplings in a garden in front of their school, and then transplant them to this field.  Only problem is the 6 cows who graze in this field, eating and knocking over the saplings.  Oleg called the police to find out whose cows these were, and while we waited for them to show, two men (who turned out to be the owners) drove by and stopped.  Oleg told the men that their cows were destroying the saplings and that they could graze them in anywhere beyond this 100-year radius in which the orchard was to be - and really there was
plenty of land all around.  One immediately moved his cow, but the other, who I think was a little drunk and couldn't get his right boot over his heel refused.  They yelled for 30 minutes in Gagauzian, and at one point the police officer got fed up and grabbed this man by the collar, knocked him off his feet, and was about to haul him into jail - but in the end he agreed to move his cows.  Oleg told me later he wanted money from the mayor's office for moving his cows 100 yards.

I don't know if the cows are where they should be or not right now.