Protected Wells
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Steps to safer wells and water holes
Before digging a well, make sure it is the best kind of well for everyone’s needs.
Well water becomes unsafe if wells are dug:
• too close to pit toilets, sewer pipes, garbage dumping pits, or livestock.
Keep at least 30 meters away.
• near industrial activity such as mining or oil drilling, fields where
chemical pesticides or fertilizers are used, or waste dumps.
• where waste water or surface runoff can flow into the well.
Shallow hand-dug wells can provide good, safe water. But the water can dry
up or be easily contaminated. During rainy seasons, surface runoff may drain
into a water hole, carrying germs and other contamination. People or animals
who use the water may carry germs on their feet to the water hole. Buckets
and ropes around the rim of the well may also collect germs, and can easily
contaminate the water when they are lowered into the well.
Simple improvements can prevent contamination. For example, make sure
only clean buckets and ropes are lowered into the water. Build up earth around
the hole or line the top with bricks or a concrete ring to keep water safer.
Lining the hole also makes it less likely to dry up or collapse, and allows for a
deeper well that can store more water. (For some ways to improve wells, see
the drawings on the next page.)
Before drilling new wells or making costly improvements to water systems,
consider making small improvements like these to make your water sources safer.
Improvements to open water holes
low water
Build stone steps into the water
hole so a person can draw water
up from a step, without getting
wet. Always use the last dry step.
Never walk into the water.
high water
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012