Bringing Water to Burkina Faso

Landlocked Burkina Faso in West Africa is one of the poorest countries in the world ranking 183rd out of 187 countries in the United Nations Human Development Index.

With a population of 17 million people, almost a quarter lack access to safe water and 12,000 children under the age of five die every year from waterbourne diseases.

In January 2010 Dando Drilling supplied a complete Watertec 12.8 water well drilling package to Belgian Non Government Organisation SLCD (Service Laïque de Coopération au Développement) for water well construction in Burkina Faso.

The drilling rig landed in the county’s capital and after two weeks of commissioning and training was put straight into service with drilling operations generally running for 8 months a year from October to April to avoid the wet season.

The frequency of droughts in Burkina Faso contribute to the nation’s water supply problems; the country has 17.5 cu km of renewable water resources, but only 66% of the urban population and 37% of rural dwellers have access to safe water. According to the World Health Organization, about 80% of all diseases in Burkina Faso are caused by unsafe water.

An aid strategy for Burkina Faso has been implemented by diverse donor institutions with the intention of meeting the goals of the Millennium campaign to halve by 2015 the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water.

To date the rig has drilled 429 boreholes with a total meterage of 24790 and a success rate of 73% and as a result 148,200 people in the country are benefiting from access to clean water.

Director of Service Laique de Cooperation au Developpement Boris Javeau stated “I am delighted with our Dando rig and the service provided, especially the amount of flexibility and customer support offered which is hard to find with a lot of the mass rig builders. I am confident that the rig has the strength and reliability to continue to drill boreholes for many years into the future”.

For more information on the Watertec 12.8 please visit Watertec 12.8 Water Well Drilling Rig

*Data correct as of 2012