The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has awarded EnterpriseWorks/VITA a grant to promote low-cost manual well drilling in Africa. Manual drilling is a practical solution that can effectively provide drinking water to un-served rural populations at a small fraction of the cost of conventional drilling. The project will foster awareness with donors, implementers, and governments of the benefits of this technique, as well as provide the tools needed for them to make informed choices concerning the integration of manual drilling into their rural water supply programs.

Despite massive investments in the water sector in Sub-Saharan Africa, the number of people without access to clean drinking water is actually increasing. Only 26 countries in Africa are on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goals for drinking water and nine countries have less than 50% coverage. This crisis disproportionately affects rural people—83% of those who lack access to safe drinking water live in rural areas.

The major impediment to improving water access for rural people is the high cost of developing potable water sources. The limited number of drilling rigs, the lack of competition, high costs of spare parts, poor infrastructure, dispersed markets, and high costs of pumps and casings all contribute to the high cost. In order to serve rural populations adequately, different approaches are needed.

Low-cost manual drilling is an effective solution to increase the availability of potable water in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is important to recognize that a well drilled to the same depth, in the same aquifer and properly developed, will be equally productive regardless of the method of drilling. However, very few people in the formal water sector in Africa are aware of manual drilling techniques and their benefits.

This project aims to raise awareness about manual well drilling through concerted information campaigns. First, EnterpriseWorks/VITA will prepare a case study on Niger, a country with a well-developed private manual drilling sector, which can serve as an illustrative example of the potential benefits of the technique. The case study will include EWV’s demonstrated success transferring manual drilling to the private sector in Niger. The case study will be widely dispersed and presented at international forums.

EWV will also prepare and disseminate general advocacy documents that clearly indicate the advantages of low cost drilling and the impact that it can have on reaching the Millennium Development Goals. In addition, there will be short videos produced to show different manual drilling techniques and demonstrate how users benefit from clean water.

To facilitate implementation, EnterpriseWorks/VITA will develop a Practice Guide that outlines the step-by-step process, identifies potential pitfalls, and recommends worthwhile strategies. Additionally, EWV will design materials for social marketing and develop the methodology for training local enterprises. The combination of learning materials that 1) demonstrate the opportunity and advantages of manual drilling and 2) provide the expertise to adopt these techniques will ensure the development of an independent, profitable and professional drilling sector in African countries.