Shallow Water Well Drilling
Lifewater’s Village Well Strategy focuses on training nationals to drill shallow water wells as well as involve the community in the process. Lifewater sends qualified North American volunteers overseas to work side-by-side with national crews for a few weeks at a time. The national crews learn to use mud-rotary drilling equipment to drill shallow water wells. The LS-200 drill rig is cost-effective, simple to operate, and can drill 200 feet in soft sediments, making it our preferred drilling equipment.

National drill crews also learn to involve the local community through the formation of a Village Water Committee. This committee actively participates in the selection of the well site, helps organize the community’s contribution toward well construction, and finally oversees the maintenance of the well once complete. Commitment and oversight by the Village Water Committee is critical to the sustainability of the water supply. Lifewater helps provide ongoing training and equipment for its partners; some crews have been working for over 15 years. Once the crew is trained, we donate the drilling equipment and the crew continues drilling water wells throughout the region where needed. A typical village well with a hand pump serves approximately 300-500 people.

Throughout the world, as safe, clean water begins to flow, thanks and praise erupt from village well sites. Many times the villagers ask, “Why have these people done this for us?” Through a dedication ceremony at the new well site, the Lifewater-trained drill crew is able to share about the hope that lives within them, the motivation behind installing the well. The crew shares about the living water Jesus Christ has to offer (John 4), acknowledging the well as a symbol of God’s love and grace for the people in the village.