Ideas On Water

A Post in Above The Chaos
June 25, 2025

We are being quoted ~$15k to $20k to drill wells in rural East Africa.
We wonder how we might be able to empower communities for 1/10th of that.

The research begins.

1. Manual (Baptist‑style) Borehole Drilling + Hand Pump

• A manual “Baptist drilling rig” can be constructed locally for around $150 (2006 prices) plus PVC casing and pump components (~$2 per metre) .

• With this method, communities can drill down up to ~30 m (even 100+ m in ideal cases) using basic tools and labor .

• Installing a community hand‑pump (e.g., Afridev) allows sustainable access to deeper, typically safer groundwater, with simple maintenance .

Links

Takeaway - It seems there is a big market gap for an open-source drilling machine design / kit that scales through a few pricepoints...

  • Sub $200 DIY Baptist Well Kit
  • Sub $1,000 step up
  • Sub $3k to $5k portable mechanical machine
  • Sub $10k simpler version of higher end concepts

J's intuition is that highly effective machines could be manufactured out of available materials in developing countries for under $10k. The Village Drill is an interesting step conceptually, but still expensive for mass-roll-out and adoption.

Ideas

  • Well Drilling "Soft Franchise"... drill, and train drilling teams...
    • Continuously improving set of equipment, training, process, etc.

In Progress

  1. Reached out to WaterAfrica.net June 25, 2025

Manual to Full Rig Steps (ChatGPT)

🚩 Summary: Steps from Manual to Full Rig

Step Method Power Source Typical Depth Cost per Rig (USD)
1 Baptist Manual Drilling Human ≤30 m ~$150–$300
2 Bicycle/Treadle Power Human Mechanical ≤50 m <$500
3 Animal-Powered Animal Mechanical ≤60 m ~$500–$1,500
4 Small Petrol/Diesel Engine Engine ≤100 m ~$1,000–$3,000
5 Solar-Powered Electric Drill Solar Electric ≤100 m ~$2,500–$6,000
6 Trailer-Mounted Small Rig Diesel Mechanical ≤200 m ~$10,000–$20,000
7 Full Truck-Mounted Rig Diesel Hydraulic ≤500+ m ~$30,000–$100,000+

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