Your Go-To Guide To Water Well Drilling

What is water well drilling?

Water well drilling is the process of drilling holes in the ground with construction equipment machines for the extraction of natural resources such as underground water, brine, natural gas, and petroleum. It is one of the most valuable developments in the history of civilization. 

Working on Water Well Drilling

The most significant element of water well drilling is the well-drilling rig. After the surveys confirmed the location and presence of underground water, the construction equipment is brought onsite. This large construction equipment is mounted on a truck or is brought by it. 

There are two types of drilling rigs mainly : 

• Pounders.
• Rotary drillers.

Pounders operate on a process called cable drilling. A heavy weight is elevated and dropped continually into the ground to punch holes.

Rotary drill equipment punctures down into the earth using a circular motion.  They use bits that are swiveled clockwise to bore into the earth and bring loose soil to the surface.  Because this builds friction and heats the bit, the void is often filled with water or mud to cool the bit during the procedure.

The drilling is followed until the bit touches an aquifer or underground water source. Aquifer’s surface is known as the water table. But, since the water table can surge or fall with various circumstances, the well is bored a bit lower to secure a steady flow of water.

The next step in the procedure is to install well casings. Well, casings are long tubes made up of plastic or steel. They are used to line the well and prevent collapse during drilling and afterward.  Well, casings prevent contamination of the well as well. The containers are more slender than the well itself, so a 5cm gap called an annulus is left between the container and the well’s wall.  The annulus is filled with gravel, sand, and stones and the final six meters are topped with concrete.  This helps to both prevent contamination and preserve the well from freezing during the winter.  Sometimes the casing is installed during the drilling process, while other times,  it is installed separately after the drilling has been finished.

The final step is installing a filter. First, a screen is positioned at the bottom of the well followed by gravel and this acts as a natural filtration mechanism. The filter helps in eradicating debris and contaminants from the water drawn from the well.  Plus, it staves off larger particles from infiltrating the water pump.

Why is water well drilling required

Well water is cleaner, healthier, and tastes better than municipal water sources. It avoids possible contamination from communal water supply and can be installed in remote locations. Plus water wells aren’t dependent on the municipal source. 

Since water well drilling is eco-friendly and can be dug anywhere, it is the best option for water supply to countries that suffer from water scarcity such as Somalia, Chad, Niger, Saudi Arabia, etc.

Many foundations have come forward to help these countries to provide water to everyone by drilling water wells.

However, in rural regions, for instance, in Africa, the water wells lack support from the municipalities. Thus, resulting in the mismanagement of water reserves and deterioration of groundwater quality, and mining of aquifers.

Almost half of the rural African regions are suffering from the lack of access to drinkable water. 

It is time for the responsible authorities to come forward and take action before the situation takes a turn for the worst.