Our First Gambian Well

After much preparation and anticipation, a significant milestone was reached in our mission to provide clean and accessible water to communities in need. With excitement and purpose, Howard, the Chairman of our charity and I embarked on a journey to The Gambia to supervise a week long training session starting from 10th September.

Our commitment to making a positive impact was further reinforced as we were joined by Davison, an experienced professional with invaluable expertise in this field.

Before we dive into the details, let’s take a moment to appreciate Mathew (An experienced water driller that we employed on our last trip), the team leader who played a crucial role in securing a contract for drilling a well in the village of Gida. This well, although basic with no pump or additional features, holds immense significance for the community.

Located just an hour and a half drive away from our office, Gida is set to benefit greatly from this project. The customer’s willingness to pay 75,000 dalasi (around £1,000) demonstrates their recognition of the value that this well will bring to their village.

We are grateful for Mathew’s efforts in making this contract possible and for his commitment towards improving access to clean water in underserved communities. This project serves as a testament to the teams dedication towards making a positive impact on people’s lives.

Before we arrived, The team dug a sump to contain water.

On the 9^th we attended a church where Mathew had a contact that may want a well. After the service we met with the pastor and explained what we could offer. This will be our second well.

On the Monday, the team hired a flat bed truck, loaded the drill and consumables then headed to the site. Mathew drove Howard, the trainer and me to the site.

We unloaded the drill and equipment, then under the trainer’s supervision started to assemble the drill rig.

Some vital bolts were missing, sourcing replacements sadly delayed us.

When assembled, we filled the sump with water using water from a near by well and installed a pump to lubricate the ground as we drilled.

The trainer instructed us how to drill, Mathew already had a good knowledge so progress was quick.

Mathew operated the hydraulic system to keep the correct pressure on the drill bit and generally supervised the rest of us. One guy was at the drill head scooping our sediment, the rest of us took turns turning the drill and Howard kept watch offering lots of wise and helpful advice. Turning the drill is hard work and we could only do it for about half an hour without a rest. We worked in shifts so the drill was working continually. After every meter we took samples of the soil so that Matthew could assess how close to water we were getting. The first day we drilled six meters.

You can see at the top soil and sub soil, the white piles were rock which was hard going then below that several grades of sandstone.

The second day we learned the various drilling techniques and how to solve any problems we may encounter. We drilled 15 meters on the second day.

On the third day, we drilled down to 31 meters and hit a good water bearing layer. The drill bit was removed, and plastic liner was put in the well.

On the fourth day, we dismantled the drill and installed a pump in the well. At first the water was like thick mud but after about two hours it became crystal clear. The sweetest water I have ever tasted.

The fifth day, we loaded the drill and other equipment on the truck, filled in the sump and tidied the site.

On the Saturday, the team assembled and dismantled the drill in the compound to make sure that we understood everything before the trainer left.

Howard and I opened a charity bank account, this was a time consuming, frustrating process. We also met a guy that builds reasonably priced websites. We were impressed with the examples he showed us. He will give us a quotation which will be discussed with the trustees.

Well done to everyone involved for their hard work and dedication.

I really value feedback. What do you think we did well? What could we do better?