Hand Drilling Newsletter Volume 5 (2009)

Welcome Back

Following a rather long break, we are delighted to be able to produce the hand drilling cluster group newsletter once again.  Thanks to UNICEF for supporting this endeavour! The hand drilling cluster group now comprises 70 individuals with direct experience of the range of technologies available all over the world. If you are involved in manual drilling but not yet part of the cluster group, please contact the editor.

Spotlight on UNICEF

UNICEF has embarked on a significant project to promote, and ultimately professionalise manual drilling. At global level, UNICEF, together with Enterprise Works/VITA and Practica are raising awareness, collecting data, identifying favourable zones for hand drilling and preparing a series of manuals.  The first stage of the work comprises five technical notes as follows:

• Case for Manual Drilling in Africa
• Professionalising Manual Drilling
• Selection of Well Construction Methods
• Manual Drilling Techniques
• Mapping the Potential for Manual Drilling

These can be downloaded from http://tinyurl.com/ohqjrf

Mapping Hand Drilling Potential

A report which maps out the favourable zones for manual drilling and low cost pumps in parts of Madagascar has just been released.  To download the report click here: http://tinyurl.com/ohqjrf

Manual Drilling in Nigeria

The field note Hand Drilling in Nigeria documents the practices which have been used to provide water sources for both domestic use and small scale irrigation.  An estimated 30,000 hand-drilled wells have been constructed throughout the country, with hand drilling undertaken by a range of individuals and businesses. To read the field note visit http://tinyurl.com/cyowfb Please note that you need to register on the RWSN website to download documents.

Update from Mali

In Gao, Mali Oxfam GB have now constructed 66 hand-drilled tubewells; mostly using the hand-augering methods. The wells have been equipped with rope and washer pumps. Oxfam Mali has recently received funding from ECHO to continue to promote this low cost drilling technology in Bamba and Temera communes of Gao. If you would like more information, please contact tmorrow@oxfam.org.uk

Motorised Rota Sludge

A key question for several organizations involved in hand drilling, is when to decide that some mechanization is beneficial. Perfor in Nicaragua has developed the so called Maq –Perfor, which they describe as a motorized rota-sludge technique which can drill through more compact soils than they currently achieve by hand.  For more information visit: http://www.perfor.org/index2.html

Smart Centres in Tanzania

Over the last three years, the New Smart Tech training Centre run by Southern Highlands Participatory Organization (SHIPO) has trained 20 local trainers in Smart technologies in Water and Sanitation (including hand drilling) from Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia.

So far, there has been a positive reception to manual drilling and the rope pumps in these four countries, with the most common challenge being: marketing of the technology and the products and adapting drilling tools and equipment to suit the local ground formations.  More information about training programs in SMART TECHS can be obtained from http://www.shipo-tz.org

Hand Drilling Family Tree     

The next edition of Waterlines includes a paper which provides a description of hand drilling, and overview of its prevalence in a number of countries.  In order to enable hand drilling novices, as well as those familiar with only one or two techniques to understand the wide range of options, a hand drilling family tree (left) has been developed. If you have comments, or would like more information, please contact the editor.

Your Stories

Please share your news about manual drilling with us.  Just contact the editor.

Editor

This newsletter is produced as part of the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) work on cost-effective boreholes.  For more information, please contact kerstin.danert@skat.ch