Professional Water Well Drilling • Topics - Rural Water Supply Network

The fact that many boreholes fail, or perform poorly within a short time from construction is partly due, to a lack of professionalism in the drilling sector and the agencies and individuals that engage with it. To provide a good water supply service, every water well drilled and every pump installed must be undertaken in a professional manner. Also, the data obtained from siting and drilling should be collected and used to improve  understanding of the groundwater resource.

Since 2004, RWSN partners have championed the topic of water well drilling professionalism. They have undertaken studies, published guidelines and animated films, ran webinars and supported face-to-face and online training courses to raise water well drilling professionalism around the world. The wealth of information available is catalogued below.

This publication provides an overview of what this RWSN theme has achieved:  Striving for Borehole Drilling Professionalism in Africa: A Review of a 16-Year Initiative through the Rural Water Supply Network from 2004 to 2020

All RWSN  publications on Borehole Drilling Professionalism  (in English, French, Portuguese) below are available in the RWSN website library. 

Note: specific information on  Manual Drilling  is catalogued on a separate website.

Animated Educational Films

	Drilling: the importance of good borehole siting  - if properly located, a borehole can provide a good supply of water. If it is not, it will fail, resulting in wasted investment. This short film explains good  borehole siting  and its importance.
	Why are some boreholes better than others?  -  learn about the basics  of good of borehole siting, design, construction and well development. Find out about casing and screen, gravel pack, and the sanitary seal and see that silting is one reason for boreholes failure.
	A borehole that lasts for a lifetime  - explains the procedures, including drilling  supervision,  needed to provide a good drilled water supply that can last for many years.
	Four steps to better drilling contracts  covers drilling  procurement and contract management . It explains: (i) preparing a procurement plan, (ii) a systematic contract award process, (iii) professional contract management, including regular communication, supervision and timely payment and (iv) monitoring and reporting after construction.
Together, the above  four animated films on borehole drilling professionalism  (English and French) explain siting, drilling supervision, contract management and the basic of water wells in up to five minutes each.

Attached link

Taxonomy

• Water Wells
• Well Drilling
• Water Well Casing
• Bore Well Recharge