Managing a bore well to ensure long life
|
Ensure that there is no wastewater infiltration, writes S.Vishwanath
|
A borewell in every house and apartment seems to be the motto of our cities. With irregular and short water supply from city networks and no water made available for construction purpose, borewells have become a necessity for providing supplemental water. Understanding how to manage a borewell is, therefore, very important to ensure its long life and to ensure a trouble-free service.
Ask for the log sheet from the borewell driller including soil strata information, depth of the borewell, the number of fissures met, depth of static water level, depth and type of casing installed and steady water yield based on a pump test.
A good driller will make available this information to all well owners. Keep this information safely for later use.
A recommendation on the type and capacity of the pump to be installed will come from the driller.
An over-capacity pump will cause intermittent pumping and will not result in best performance of the borewell. Keep the information details of the pump installed and the depth at which it is placed.
Install a separate electricity meter, circuit breakers and a water meter on the borewell.
Take monthly readings of both the water meter and the electricity meter. This will enable you to calculate the cost of water per kilo-litre from the borewell.
Test the quality of water from the borewell at the time of drilling and regularly at least once in six months. Water quality testing should be from a BIS-accredited laboratory and should be with regard to parameters identified under BIS 10500.
Keep an eye on nitrate levels, TDS levels and micro-biological contamination. These indicate contamination from sewage or wastewater.
Ensure that there is no water logging near the borewell, no leaks in the pumpset and pipes and no wastewater infiltration close to the borewell. Ensuring non-contamination of borewell is important if the quality of the water is to be maintained for potable use.
Avoid leakage
Taking care of inspection chambers and sewage lines and ensuring that there is no blockage or leakage will prevent the contamination of groundwater. Blocked manholes and leaking pipes outside the site should be promptly reported and the matter pursued till action is taken by the authorities concerned.
Rainwater and stormwater drainage or recharge systems should be properly designed and maintained so that no water accumulation occurs near the borewell.
Electrical lines and systems should be leak proof and of the best material and should be regularly checked so that there is no leakage or short circuit.
A well-designed rainwater recharge system will ensure that the fall in water level because of drawal of water through the borewell is compensated through recharge and also will improve the quality of groundwater.
A borewell provides water security and a priceless commodity. Being waterwise is to recognise sources of water that we depend on and take steps to ensure their sustainability.
www.rainwaterclub.org
www.arghyam.org
e-mail:zenrainman
@gmail.com
Ph: 080-23644690
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Property Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Hyderabad
Kochi
Malabar
Thiruvananthapuram
