Borehole sustainability in rural Africa: an analysis of routine field data

Abstract

Handpump-equipped boreholes are one of the most common water supply technologies adopted in rural Africa, but often\ndemonstrate low levels of sustainability. In addition to operational problems with the pump, the borehole itself may cease\nto provide adequate quantities of safe drinking water only a short time after construction. This can have a significant\nnegative impact on poor rural communities, particularly in the dry season when alternative water sources are scarce. A\nstudy of 302 boreholes in Ghana aimed to investigate rapid-onset borehole failure in relation to field data typically available\nfollowing drilling and development. The study showed that the likelihood of borehole failure increased by a factor of\nsix when drilling occurred during the wet season, and discovered a strong correlation between monthly precipitation and\nrespective failure rates for boreholes drilled in each month. The potential for borehole failure also increased significantly\nwhen the initial yield was below the guideline value of 10 l/min. There was no indication, however, that a higher guideline\nvalue would be a cost-effective measure to reduce failure rates.