ARTICLES

Supply Concerns are Fuelling the Demand for Borehole Drilling Contractors

The extreme drought conditions in the Western Cape that recently saw taps in the Mother City on the verge of running dry should serve as a wake-up call for all of the nation’s consumers. While, even during the best of times, much of our country is officially designated as semi-arid, water shortages now seem certain to become more frequent in the wake of steadily increasing demands by consumers, coupled with the escalating threat of climate change whose adverse effects can no longer be ignored, despite the denials of certain world leaders. Given that much of the planet’s freshwater reserves are located in underground aquifers, the demand for borehole drilling services seems destined to escalate in parallel.

While the quantity of water present underground is vast, not all of it is necessarily available where it may be needed. Accessing it, therefore, entails more than just sinking a shaft and hoping for the best. Drilling is a skilled and labour intensive activity and this is reflected in its cost. Not only does a client require some assurance that an underground source is available nearby and that it has the capacity to provide an adequate yield of sufficiently pure water, but they will also need an estimate of the total cost involved. In order to comply with the requirements, the company that is appointed to provide the borehole drilling services will need to begin by conducting a hydrological survey.

An experienced engineer will examine any existing hydrological maps of the region and compare their content with features of the local terrain in order to establish an appropriate site to commence the drilling process. The survey should also provide a good estimate of the depth to which it will be necessary to drill in order to intersect a suitable aquifer. Taking into account the cost of labour and materials, it should be possible to provide the client with a provisional quotation. However, because it is not possible for those providing the borehole drilling services to predict the required drilling depth exactly, the quote should include the cost per metre for any additional drilling that might prove necessary and which will only be undertaken at the discretion of the client.

This is a precision operation and every precaution must be taken to ensure that the water extracted cannot become contaminated by bacteria and impurities in the surrounding soil. This requires the insertion of a stainless steel shaft that should be long enough to partially penetrate the layer of rock in which the aquifer is situated. With the shaft in place, once water is located and a submersible pump is installed, additional borehole drilling services should include tests to determine the potential yield and the quality of the subterranean source.

When selecting the best pump for the job, this is determined by the head of pressure to be overcome and is based on the depth of the shaft plus the height of any vertical pipework located above ground. Storage tanks may be supplied as well as treatment plants to remove any contaminants revealed by quality tests.

Dwindling reserves and spiralling demands continue to be a threat to long-term water security and the pressure is on all consumers to consider contacting a professional borehole drilling service.