Sinking a well: drill or dig? Constructing a new shallow well is often the only way of watering rural Africa. But whether a modern tubewell or traditional excavation is budgeted for depends on a number of factors. Most importantly, what is the well to be used for?(Water Supply)

African Review of Business and Technology,  July, 2006  

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A MAJOR CONSTRAINT on rural water development anywhere in Africa is the mobilisation of available resources. If irrigation is the purpose these costs can become prohibitive if groundwater is the source. The deeper the well the higher these combined costs will be. A decision has to be made whether to hand-dig at low cost a well typically 1-2m wide, or use some mechanical means to sink a borehole which can be as narrow as 15cm.

Wells created for irrigation purposes must be properly constructed because of the regular and high yield they are required to produce, In Nigerian conditions ...

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