XUNICEF Quarterly June 2021

Water be Blessed I: A Reminiscence

By Colin Davis

If I could give one gift to anyone working in development, it would be to take them to see a water well being drilled. We would sit quietly and watch as the village elders squat nearby, observing everything. Soon the crew become excited, there are signs of water. We will feel a wave of anticipation flow through the village. The women of the village will have already lined up their water pots, smiling, happy. Life for that village will change for the better. I was involved in UNICEFs Water and Environmental Sanitation programme from 1983 to 2003. It was a magical time.

But drilling can be troublesome. It can be a difficult mechanical thing that has to be overcome with skill and patience. I remember two cases which made me thankful that I was able to play a role in providing safe drinking water. Both occasions were in Gujarat, India in the Rajkot area around the time of the serious drought in 1986.

I had been discussing the situation with the Chief Engineer, Mr Modi who told me that somehow wells have to be sunk deeper. Of the many machines UNICEF had supplied to the programme, some were rated to drill well beyond the average 50 meters normally expected. I advised the Chief Engineer, who scoffed and said 150 meters was needed and he thought our machines would fail! it was a challenge which I accepted.

The site was selected, equipment collected. I asked the service company to make sure everything was in good working order. A photographer was arranged to record the event from the human perspective. All was set, we began to drill.

Initial progress was good, but as depth increased, I could sense that the crew were getting nervous. At 120 meters we could feel that the machine was labouring. This was for two reasons. The service engineer had found a problem but because he didn’t have a new part, he kept quiet! The second reason was that although the machine was rated to drill below 200 meters, because the normal programme depth was within 100 metres the air compressor that had been fitted (used to clear the drill cuttings from the bore as work progressed) was struggling. I had to stand with the driller to coach and coax him to go carefully.

I had in mind the 150 meters the Chief Engineer had asked for. Drilling progressed but it was clear that the machine was now really struggling. The crew wanted to call it a day, but there were signs we had reached water. I persuaded the crew to keep going. Deep down though, even I was beginning to worry. If we had drilled into any soft, clayish-clinging strata, I was not too confident that the machine could cope; we could end up losing the bore.

Another 5 meters and we had clearly reached water. We nursed it to about 138 meters by which time the machine was telling us; enough! I agreed that we could stop and complete the well. UNICEFs honour was in-tact, there was relief all round. I returned to the village about one month later, surprised to find that the well had been set up to discharge into a large animal trough! And the women of the village had to reach over to fill their pots! I complained and the local engineers agreed to improve it.

I went to meet the Chief Engineer in Ghandinagar. On entering his office, he beamed “I said you would fail!” My “but, but” didn’t cut it and I had to agree we had not reached 150 metres. I left his office feeling happy that we had anyway given water to a very desperate village.

Water be Blessed II: 

By Colin Davis

The local government engineers in Rajkot had informed me the problem was gravel. Gravel is difficult because it collapses when trying to drill through it. I agreed to train the drill crew in a method of simultaneous casing, where the hole is “cased” with steel pipe as drilling progresses, thereby stopping it from collapsing.

On site an audience had gathered, full of expectancy. Drilling was easy to 30 meters, but then the machine began to shake as the gravel trapped the drilling tool. Nerves of steel and a cool head were required. I spent some time explaining what we were going to do. I had to make it work, especially with a big audience watching! The trickiest time was adding a casing pipe simultaneously with a new drill rod. The crew, with me by their side, got better and more confident and soon we had done enough to complete the borehole and install a handpump.

The crew and people were happy; I was happy that I had been able to help to give the gift of safe water to the town. It was time to go and deciding not to wait for the government car, I climbed inside an autorickshaw. Settling into the seat I looked up and saw about twenty women had surrounded the rickshaw! I didn’t know what I had done wrong, who I had upset but these women were not smiling.

One of the women asked “Where are you going?” I replied the well is complete so I am leaving. A woman pleaded; “We are from further down the street. The people here will not let us use this well”. I sympathised and told them the crew knew how to do it now, but the women were not confident. I promised to meet the local engineers to ask that the next well would be for their area and if there was any difficulty, I would come back. With that, the women backed away and allowed the rickshaw to leave. The Government Superintending Engineer agreed to make a well at the other end of the town.

There were many magical times when I have been able to ensure the equipment UNICEF provided was doing what it should; to change peoples, children’s, lives for the better. It was both a privilege and a joy and remains in the bank of many wonderful memories that I hold from the programme.

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