CAUSES OF WATER BOREHOLE FAILURES IN NIGERIA

HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT OIL SHALES BEFORE??

Water is one of the most (if not the most) essential requirements for life existence on earth. It is a well known fact that the human body is made up of about 75% water. Apart from water for drinking, it is relied on for industrial and domestic chores. It is available in the surface and sub-surface. But the surface water is usually not enough and in most cases not available all year round due to seasonal variations namely: Rainy and Dry Seasons. During the Rainy Season, the Surface water becomes readily available (though may or may not be enough depending on the need) but the contrast is the case during Dry Season. Hence the resort to Boreholes.

Let’s start by defining a Borehole. In the simplest term, as the name implies: Bore Hole.  It means to ‘bore a hole’; or simply put: ‘to drill a hole’, ‘to sink a hole’, ‘to punch a hole’ on the ground to create a cavity inside the ground where water can accumulate, be stored and harvested when needed. The hole can be shallow (as in wells), or deep. The depth to drill, the Geologic factors of the area and the financial capacity of the client determine the technology to deploy in the drilling. While some deploy hand-operated (manual) rigs for drilling, others deploy motorised rigs.

However, the type of rig to be deployed is determined by the underlying Formations.

AND NOW THE BIG QUESTION...


....You May Find Out How Old The Earth Is

                WHY THE FAILURES OF BOREHOLE?

A borehole is said to have failed when the yield has grossly reduced when compared to the yield produced immediately after drilling and could not be reconciled with the pumping test data. These can result in borehole failures:

• Failure to do a proper Geophysical survey to delineate the underlying Formation(s) and it’s extensiveness. Most clients do not know the fact that a survey MUST be done to ascertain the availability of water in their chosen locality before the actual drilling. This is called water prospecting. Incompetent drillers harvest on their ignorance to swindle them their hard earned monies.

• Failure to use the appropriate rig. Different rigs are designed to be used for different terrains. Some drillers (especially quacks) are fond of this.

• Incompetent drillers. Quacks abound in all professions despite all regulatory actions of government agencies to checkmate them. Borehole drilling is not an exception.

• Poor / lack of supervision during the drilling. To ensure that the specifications recommended for the borehole is strictly adhered to, there is need for supervision during drilling.

• Formation characteristics. Not all geological materials produce water. Moreover, deep static water level, Ferric water and Saline water are major hindrances in areas they are prevalent.

• Usage. Over usage resulting from over pumping by the owner can result to failure of the borehole especially in areas where recharge rate is less than discharge rate.

• Poor / improper installation. During installation, standard pumps, PVCs (screens and blinds), gravels and grouting should be put in place.

Considering the amount of money required in borehole drilling, care should be taken in the choice of a driller. Moreover, an advice from a Geologist / Geophysicists should be solicited for.

DO YOU KNOW THE QUALITY OF YOUR GROUNDWATER?