EMN
Dimapur, April 16
The ‘Friends of North-East People’ has provided a much-need borewell to villagers of Atoizu, in Zunheboto district. The water facility was built for the villagers by the Assam Rifles, the security force informed in a press release issued to the media on Saturday.
Continuing its endeavour to improving the living standards of the locals and providing basic amenities in remote villages of Zunheboto district, a water supply scheme has been constructed at Atoizu village by the security force. The idea is to alleviate the problems of drinking water to villagers, the establishment stated in the press release.
“People were facing acute shortage of water and water borne diseases due to unhygienic water sources. Water Supply Scheme (Borewell) will resolve the problem of availability of safe drinking water to a large extent,” the Assam Rifles said.
The completed Borewell was handed over to Atoizu village’s authority on April 8. “Villagers expressed their satisfaction and gratitude to the Assam Rifles for undertaking projects which address the requirements local populace by providing safe drinking water under Military Civic Action,” the press release stated.
Citizens’ Factfile: Some facts you probably didn’t know about this common facility
• A bore well is a well of 4 1/2”, to 12” in diameter drilled into the earth for retrieving water. In this 4 1/2” and 51/2” Bore wells are commonly for Domestic purposes while 6 1/2“ and more are for Commercial / Industrial purposes. A bore well is cased in the region of loose subsoil strata open in hard rock or in crystalline rock. High grade PVC pipes are used for Casing in bore wells. The depth of a bore well can vary from 150 feet to 1500 feet.
• What is the difference between a bore well and a tube well?
A bore well is drilled with casing pipe put only up to the soil-rock boundary and this is done normally for shallow depths in hard rock or in crystalline rock. But in a tube well, the casing pipes are put up to the bottom of the bore wells, with perforation in the pipes in some level. Normally the Tube wells are drilled in sand and gravel where the availability of water is much below the ground level. Did you know that if drillers encounter a rock within 15 meters from the ground level, the water source might not be permanent? They will have to dig deeper in order to find water. But if drillers encounter a rock within 30 meters from the ground level, the water source is generally good and can be a perennial water flow.
• When digging a well with a bore pump, there is a high degree of uncertainty of finding a water source under the ground. If you neighbour has founded a water source, this doesn’t mean that you will as well with your bore pump. At some locations, you can find water layers easily, but at others, you might dig without success.
• Bore pumps cannot be installed just anywhere on the ground. Also, an expert is required to locate the areas where water can be found. Experts in digging wells have the required knowledge, experience and professional instruments to successfully locate water.
• In Swaziland, more than three thousand bore pumps have been installed since 1986, but more than 40% of the population does not have clean water and about 90% of the community water projects are not in function. The reason majority of installed bore pumps are not in function is lack of money for proper maintenance.
Never drill a second bore-well close to the first one that has failed, because there is a big chance the newly drilled well will collapse due to the gravitational force and earth vibrations. Always install the next bore pump within 5-6 meters from the first hole.
