TECHNOLOGY > DRILLING

The drilling rig unit in action.

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You can hire our drill rig to develop a bore hole at your home or for your organisation.
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Drilling boreholes and shallow wells

Introduction

In most of our project areas there is sufficient and safe drinking water in the aquifers. Drilling of boreholes is essential for many of our projects to provide water. The drilling process is always an event for the communities. There is high participation through cleaning of the site, cooking food for the staff, providing water for the process and of course singing, praying and dancing.

To access this ground water KWAHO operates two types of drills: the drilling rig and the vonder rig. The drilling rig unit is aimed to reduce the cost of our projects but also to be an income generating activity for us.

Technique

Drilling Rig Unit

The drill rig is a portable rotary rig called "Auqadrill A 60 Atlas Copco" with a drilling capacity of 70 meters.
Additional equipments are compressor, mud pump, test pump, foam pump and other tools.
An ordinary landrover is the pulling machine.

Because of its small size it is very flexible and can reach places where the usual truck-mounted rigs can not go.

Number of boreholes so far drilled:
  - 100 in Kisumu-Maseno Division
  - 20 in Mombaso-Kwale
  - 15 in South Sudan

High participation at driving the vonder rig for drilling of
shallow wells in Lower Tana River area.

Sketch of a vonder rig. [1]

Vonder Rig Unit

A vonder rig, a.k.a. vauger ist manually operated and can drill up to 10 metres. They are mainly used in developing shallow areas.

A main advantage of the vonder rig is its high potential for community involvement but also its simple and cheap technology, especially for the far remote areas.

Description of project areas where the drilling rig is operating:

References:
[1] WURZEL, Peter, Drilling borehols for handpumps, SKAT, Switzerland, 2001. www.skat.ch