Hand dug water wells

Definition

A hand-dug water well can be defined as a shallow large-diameter man-made hole from which groundwater can be abstracted.

Water well water can be used for;

• Irrigation (Irrigation engineer advise recommended)
• Home use (Laboratory tests recommended)
• Poultry, livestock and aquaculture (Laboratory tests recommended)
• Industrial and municipal use (Technical advise recommended)

Steps involved in constructing hand-dug water wells in Uganda

Step 1 – Survey

A physical visit is done to determine the probability at which a shallow/hand dug water well can be successful.

The survey involves the following but not limited to;

• Checking the possible point location for no possibilty or reduced chances of contamination
• Possibility of damage due to man-induced and natural earth movements
• Possibility of basement rock formations before the water bearing structures
• relating field topography and naturallry occuring plants

Dowsing is also done to improve the point location

Step 2 – Digging

The next step is to organize the digging team, tools, and materials to use. Tools include; pickaxe, spade, rope, bucket, pulley system to mention

Once water is reached, building materials are organized and delivered to the site. Building materials include; bricks (clay burnt bricks recommended), Sand (Lake sand recommended), cement, waterproof powder to mention.

Digging demo video here

Step 3 – Digging while construction

The weak walls in most cases due to water are reinforced by building, when the quantity of water increases and can nolonger be drawn by a water bucket, a temporary submersible water pumping system is used.

Water is drawn as digging and construction is done till a certain estimated water volume (depending on the rate at which springs bring water and depth of the well after reaching water) that will be collected is reached

Top covers for water pump installations

Top covers for dual purpose (water pump installations and manual water collection)

Cost analysis for a hand dug water well

• Cost option one(1): Client provides construction materials that may include; Bricks(Clay burnt bricks recommended), Sand (Fine lake sand recommended), Cement (Any brand can be used with minimum standards), water proof powder, Top cover materials that may include; Pedestal(for water pump installation or small door for access), iron bars, wire mesh, binding wires Our team provides digging and construction labour. Our digging and construction charges can range from Ugx2,800,000 to Ugx4,200,000. Cost of materials may range from Ugx900,000 to Ugx2,600,000. Cost excludes mobilization of team to and from the site

• Cost option two(2): WEIS ENGINEERING TEAM provides digging and construction labour including supply of all materials required excluidng equipment required for drawing water from the well. Cost may range from Ugx3,700.000 to Ugx7,200,000

Working in hard formations

Working in hard formations that can no longer be dug through using a pickaxe may call for a need of using mechanized equipment like demolition/jack hammer commonly(locally) known ‘Makita’ to break the hard formations. This type of equipment requires electricity which can be produced by a mobile generator in case the place is not connected to the National grid. These tools are only required where there are hard formations and can be hired. The company has a jack hammer, mobile generator, and wires that can be hired at discounted prices and only charged for the first six(6) days, the rest of the days, the client will be buying fuel for the generator(for sites with no sources of electricity, oil, consumables like chisels

Working in places with high flow springs

In some areas, the recharging rate (time taken for water to refill) is quite higher than what can be drawn manually using drums, such places require the use of temporary draining water pumps to allow the digging team to create bigger storage. The temporary draining system comprises the submersible pump that can handle silt water, wires, pipes pipe fittings, power source(generator for sites with no National grid or if National grid power is in more than 20 meters* from the well point.

The temporary draining system is optional to the client and may or may not be required.

It can be hired from any service provider or from our team( We offer a discounted price)

Advantages and limitations of hand dug water wells

Advantages of hand dug water wells

• Cheap in comparison with other technologies such as the mechanical construction of boreholes
• Apart from cement, the materials needed for construction are normally available locally. Construction materials needed include; bricks(clay burnt preferred) and Sand (Lake sand preferred) and materials needed for the top cover include; wire mesh(1), iron bars(2), binding wires(1kg), pedestal/small door for water access.

Limitations of hand dug water wells

• Supply is greatly influenced by water table fluctuations.
• Excavation takes more time compared to mechanical drilling, about 2-5weeks, oxygen limitations in some areas may prolong the process
• Manual digging is not possible in rocky areas and in areas where digging depth may exceed 40 meters
• During excavation, a method of keeping the well pumped dry after reaching the water table is required. This will normally involve a motorised pump, which in turn will require a power source. The capacity to dewater the well will limit the extent to which excavation can continue below the top of the water table.
• Should be located at a safe distance from possible contamination points such as pit latrines, dumping sites, areas prone to flooding*, to mention

Demo videos

Hand dug water well digging demo video

Hand dug water well construction demo video

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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