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Madagascar
Scale: Up to 1,000 hand-drilled wells have been constructed in Madagascar. Jetted wells are currently the most common.

Use: The wells are mainly installed to provide domestic water, as communal sources.

Expertise: There are about 20 drilling teams in the country, with expertise in one or more hand drilling technique.

Techniques: Jetting and the local variant known as Madrill, augering, rota sludge.

Pumps installed on hand drilled wells: Canzee pump, India Mark (III), rope pump (family & community), Tany Pump (local surface pump) and other deep well pumps.

History: Several organisations have introduced manual drilling into Madagascar. They all appear to have started in early to mid 2000:

  • Enterprise Works/VITA introduced well jetting techniques to Madagascar from Senegal.
  • Richard Cansdale taught well jetting techniques to MEDAIR and Bushproof.
  • 2005 saw the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) introducing hand augering (with consultancy inputs from Niger).
  • In 2006 Practica (supported by FAO & UNICEF) introduced the rota sludge technique.

Hand drilled wells continue to be constructed under projects in Madagascar. The local private sector is drilling wells for private and community use to a lesser extent.

Standards: Not for hand drilled wells.

Costs: Bushproof jetted wells cost € 600-1200 each. Prices of 30m deep rota sludge wells drilled by private enterprises and NGOs (Medair and CRS) have been quoted as € 225-440 (excluding concrete slab and pump).

Suitable Areas: From recent mapping work, it has been estimated that 20% of the land, mostly the coastal fringe, is suitable for well jetting.

Estimated potential target population: The mapping study (Voahary Slama, USAID and Practica, 2008) of eight regions found that up to 2.9 million inhabitants (out of 7.7 million) in these regions could be served by hand drilled wells.

Hydrogeological Mapping: Mapping of suitable areas for manual drilling has been undertaken for eleven regions in Madagascar (see Practica, 2008 and Voahary Slama, USAID and Practica, 2008).

Water Quality: No specific issues have been raised. No specific documents have been published.

Organisations and Individuals involved:

  • Bushproof (Luke John Paul Barrett, madatech2@bushproof.net).
  • Care, CRS, FAO, Medair, UNICEF.
  • Experienced drillers in jetting - Fitahiana Mamy William, Befitia Zaivelin, Jocelyn, Randriarimanana José, Ranoelison Hajamanana Herizo, Rakotoarisoa Eric Dany and Randrianantenaina Perlin.
  • Practica (Stéphan Abric;  (stephan.abric@practicafoundation.nl)
  • VONJY private enterprise (mavonjy@yahoo.fr)
  • Rota sludge trainer and national consultants (Vonjy Mavo Andriamaroandraina; mavonjy@yahoo.fr)
    (Haja Mavo Andriamaroandraina; andriamaro_hajaserge@yahoo.fr)
  • Voahary Salama (Jonathan Annis, jonathanannis@mac.com)

Documentation:

Practica. 2007. Capitalisation d’expériences sur l’introduction et la diffusion de technologie sd’irrigation à faible coût à Madagascar. Report available from info@practicafoundation.nl on request.

Practica. 2008. Elaboration d’un plan d’action de développement de technologies à faible coût d’AEPA dans les régions de Sava, Diana et Sofia Report available from info@practicafoundation.nl on request.

Voahary Slama, USAID and Practica. 2008. Cartographie thématique des zones favorables aux techniques de captage et d’exhaure à faible coût. Report can be downloaded from here.

Last update of information: May 2009