The Plan

Our initial plan is to bring clean water, by digging wells, to roughly 56,000 people in the Town of Ogboji, Nigeria. In an effort to bring clean water to the entire population, we will need to dig four to five wells.

 

A typical well will serve up to 1,000 people per day. What we plan to do is build a holding tank (reservoir) that will distribute water through pipes, leading to different parts of the town. This plan allows closer to 10,000 people (per well), to have access to clean water on a daily basis. 

 

This water problem will be solved by boreholes, or wells. With this we can access groundwater from aquifers, which are underground spaces between rocks and soil that store water that has seeped from rain. The drilling process for a borehole can vary depending on the geology of the area, but generally involves drilling down 80 meters or more to reach the aquifer.

 

Due to the difficulty in getting water, it is estimated that they will be drilling down over 1500 feet to get water. Once the borehole is drilled, it's lined, sealed, and cased, and a well screen and submersible pump are installed. The pump then lifts the water up through the rising main and discharge pipe to a pressure tank, where it's stored and supplied.

 

The drilling of a borehole or well can provide a reliable and often cleaner alternative to surface water. They can also be a long-term investment that can reduce reliance on water systems and vulnerabilities to climate change. However, not all groundwater is clean, so filtration devices may need to be installed to ensure the water is safe to drink. Other measures that can be taken to ensure water quality include sterilizing the water and sealing the borehole to prevent surface contamination.