Hand or Manual Drilled Wells

Unlike hand digging, which requires a person to be physically below ground to dig the well (of at least one meter in diameter), hand drilling enables the operators to remain above the ground and drill a narrow diameter borehole (50 to 200mm). Hand drilling can provide highly affordable improved groundwater sources for households and communities for both domestic and productive use. Drilled depths depend on the technology and formation, but can extend to 30m and sometimes more.

The cost of a manually drilled well can 10% to 50% of machine drilled or hand dug well to similar depth. Hand drilling equipment can often be readily taken to sites which larger, more conventional drilling cannot access. However, it is important to note that hand drilling techniques are extremely effective in appropriate ground conditions. They are not suitable beyond their hydrogeological limitations. In cases where the formation is too hard, or the water bearing formation too deep, conventional drilling is the preferred option.

These webpages are intended to enable more information exchange and discussion on hand drilling.  They are by no means exhaustive.  Please tell us more about your hand drilling experiences, projects that you know about or equipment suppliers. 

Hand drilling directory
Short summary of each of the hand drilling techniques being utilised today; a county-by-country overview of the extent of hand drilling taking place in select countries; an annotated list of organisations involved in promoting and supporting hand drilling and an extensive list of literature, from published articles to training materials and on-line videos. Click here to download. 

Organisations Involved
Information and contact details of organisations involved in hand drilling is available here.  

Country Experiencies of Manual Drilling
Hand drilled wells are currently being constructed in Niger, Nigeria, Mali, Tanzania, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Chad, Ethiopia and South Africa to name but a few.  RWSN is collecting information about experiences of hand drilling from different countries. 

Case Studies
UNICEF, Practica Foundation and Enterprise Works have prepared case studies of manual drilling experiences for Chad and Niger.   

Hand Drilling Techniques
Manual drilling relies primarily on human energy to penetrate, break or cut the formation to be drilled, remove the loose material from the hole and support the hole to prevent collapse during, or immediately after drilling. As a consequence, manual drilling is constrained by the limits of human energy. Click here for more information on hand drilling techniques.