After much delay due to high moisture in the ground, borewell truck rolled in on 3rd week of January. For now, we have dug 2 borewells but plan on having 4 more points in the coming months. "Hard rock" was found at 150 feet (which translates to 150 ft of casing pipes for support, after which the rock strata itself provides the support). Water potential seems to be good in our area. The actual yield will be determined only after we have EB connections but it is estimated we should get 2.5 to 3 inches of water..
Borewell truck is massive weighing about 70 tons. As a result, they avoid going to places which are high in moisture.
Support truck with Casing pipes. Each pipe is 30 ft long and costs Rs 185/ft. We used 150 feet of casing pipes till we hit the rock strata.
Borewell crew from Chattisgarh. Intrestingly, they work in 2 shifts. One team works during the day and the other at night. They travel across the country with supplies, gas cylinders and everything you can imagine..
Bore point that needs to be drilled.
Bore machine taking position..
Borewell crew loading up a bore. We used 15 and 18 bores for the two points. Each bore is 18.5 ft long. Don't ask me the rationale behind such a specific length :)
Cost of digging which is proportional to number of borewell rods cost us Rs 52/ft
First sight of sand-water discharge.The worker on left is channelizing the discharge. More action in videos tab..
It took about 5 hours to complete the first point. By the time, we started the second point, it was 6 pm.
Second point took longer than expected. There was a big reservoir of water beneath and the bore could not get good support due to sandy structure beneath.
This was taken sometime around 2 am. Manish - our farm manager on right, Ram Singh - our all-rounder employee and myself on left.
Dried up discharge from one of the borewell points taken several days later..
Cost of digging which is proportional to number of borewell rods cost us Rs 52/ft
This was taken sometime around 2 am. Manish - our farm manager on right, Ram Singh - our all-rounder employee and myself on left.
Are there different width for the bore pipe? I would think if there the underground water head is large then a wider bore can be used to maximize water extraction. Or is it a standard size for all types of bore wells?
ReplyDeleteWhat would happen if the water level drops below 150 ft at the current site? How much would it cost to deepen or dig new bore wells?
I believe its a standard size as far as width and length is concerned, but I will try to find the details from the bore person.
ReplyDeleteRock strata was found at 150 ft. Actual digging was carried out until 277 and 338 ft. Therefore, casing pipe was used until 150 ft, after which the rock itself acts as a "casing" medium.
Cost of digging a new bore well is around Rs 45000. If you have to deepen one in future,it will typically cost 1.5 times more (Rs 67500).
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI am very much impressed with your progress. I too bought 130 acres of land in Theni district in 2010, after a long search for 7 years. I too live in abroad. since I depend on others, the progress is slow. I would like to request help on 3 issues:
1. Identification of water for borewell: How did you undertake this taks? If there is a lesson (based on your experience), please share. Also, could you provide the contact details for this, if you could recommend someone
2. My land is also sandy red soil and more than 150 feet it is soil without any rock. So, many borewell people (local) here say, the rod will get stuck in the sand & hence not willing to tale the risk. I think in this scientific age, there should be way to do borewell. could you suggest the contact persons please?
3. I have already applied for 6 agri-service for EB. But looks like it is NOT EASY & anticipate taking years to get the EB connection. Is there any alternatives please.
Could you e-mail in sv.venky@gmail.com?
Regards,
Venkatesan
Venky,
ReplyDeleteIn the interest of other people, who may have similar questions, I will answer your questions here. However, feel free to call me if you need more details.
1. We have used water diviners as well as hydrogeologists. The latter use machines that determine water potential based on resistivity readings. Water diviners use coconut based apparatus, this one should be used as a preliminary mode of testing. The person I used for the 2 bores I have is no more in TN. I am talking to a couple more for my next 3 points. I will pass on the info if I feel he is good.
2. You can contact Santosh Kumar - 94429 61947. He dug the bores for us.
3. Do not depend on free agri services. I have gone for horticulture connections - tariff III A (1). They are a little expensive but it will get you started.
I'm seeing for the first time how a bore well is put.
ReplyDeleteIt is very useful