Boreholes are not the only popular source of water known in Nigeria. Another man-made source of water most Nigerians have in their homes is well. In fact, in states like Lagos, wells are common in family homes.
So, while some dig up boreholes in the house, some other people prefer digging wells. But there are still some homes in Nigeria that have both wells and boreholes. The reason is for the home to have several means of getting water in case there’s no light to pump the borehole water.
Just like borehole drilling, well drilling costs a huge amount of money as well. To help you determine how much it’ll cost to dig a well in your building, we have gathered the entire cost of digging a well in Nigeria.
To know more about how wells are dug in Nigeria and the current price, also whether it’s cheaper or more expensive than a borehole, keep reading below.
The Process Of Well Digging In Nigeria
Here’s a breakdown guide on the process of digging a well in your house:
- Choosing A Good Location
Wells, unlike boreholes, are built in strategic positions. So, if you are digging up a well in your house, make sure where the well is located if it is within 5 meters away from the main house.
- Digging The Pit
If you’re digging a pit near a riverine area, it won’t require a lot of work. But the work in digging a well is in dry lands because the pit has to go deep before water can be found. During this process, machines or manpower is used for the digging process.
- Ring Installation
The next stage is the stage where the bottom plate is laid. The purpose is to secure the well area and prevent sand from covering it. The size of the ring slab built will depend on the size of the well dug.
The ring can be between 10 and 90 cm tall, and between 79 and 200 cm in circumference. The junction is then reinforced with metal staples, and the rings to be installed are mounted with a truck crane.
After the inner ring, an out ring will also be mounted for the same purpose to shield the newly dug well from dirt.
How Much Will It Cost To Dig A Well In Nigeria?
If you have the necessary materials needed and an experienced professional, the process will not be as complicated as that of borehole drilling. The cost of digging a well is between ₦30,000 to ₦50,000 in Nigeria when it’s done by hand.
However, when the well is done using machines, it costs between ₦100,000 and ₦150,000. In general, digging a well is cheaper than borehole drilling. But, most people prefer boreholes to having wells in their homes.
Also, the price of the slab ring is usually between ₦4,500 to ₦6,000. The price could go higher or lower depending on the seller and the cost of building materials in the market.
In general, it’s impossible to determine the exact cost of digging a well in Nigeria. But, the most important part is that it doesn’t exceed ₦200,000 to dig a well, and the price keeps decreasing as many people prefer boreholes. So, the decline of wells is the reason why the price for digging wells has also reduced.
Conclusion
The cost of digging well in Nigeria is not as expensive as the cost of drilling a borehole. The same amount it’ll cost you to use a machine to dig a well might not be enough to even manually drill a borehole. Also, many Nigerians even in rural areas don’t make use of wells like in the ancient days, so that’s also why the price is reducing.
