Hand augered garden wells

Lutheran World Relief (LWR) has been working with gardeners in Niger since 1978. In 1988 LWR began introducing hand augered wells to garden sites throughout the country. In comparison to other well types its versatility, low cost and ease of construction make it a good choice when soil conditions are suitable. A typical well can be installed to a depth of ten metres, with three metres below the water table, in less than six hours. The cost of the well is essentially the cost of the PVC well casing, which in Niger currently costs about US$ 15 per metre. Locally manufactured augers, required for the installation, cost less than US$ 200 and can be used for many wells. Water can be drawn from a hand augered well by a number of methods ranging from a specialized bailer to a motor pump. Under favourable soil conditions, flow rates of 14 m3/hr have been obtained with a motor pump. The first part of this brochure gives a description of the method used to install a hand augered well and the second part gives a description of the tools and detailed plans of how to make them.