The need to address groundwater
Water security remains a key issue for much of the world. 2.2 billion people lack safely managed drinking water.
Groundwater is the solution for many communities, especially in rural areas with extended dry seasons often made worse and less predictable by climate change.
There is significant demand for boreholes to be drilled to meet the Millennium Development Goals. Importantly, poorly executed and maintained boreholes, which are common across the global South, lead to high rates of borehole failure, over abstraction, poor yields, and poor water quality. Training needs to be given to professionals to ensure boreholes are sited well, expertly drilled and adequately maintained and monitored for sustainable long-term yield.
What is the Groundwater Development School?
The Groundwater Development School (GDS) is a 4-week training programme run by Groundwater Relief that educates young professionals on every aspect of siting, developing, managing, and monitoring a borehole.
Attendees will learn:
Practical and theoretical training in borehole siting using remote sensing, field data, geological mapping and Groundwater Relief’s geophysical survey equipment.
Practical and theoretical training in the drilling supervision and construction of a borehole using drilling equipment supplied by a partnered local contractor. This would include training on how to: sample and log the geology encountered; design a borehole based on the lithology logged; install a borehole casing and screen, gravel pack and sanitary seal; then develop the borehole.
Practical and theoretical training in pumping tests, including how to carry out a constant rate, recovery and step test. Analysis of pumping test data to determine aquifer potential and to determine the optimum pump to be installed into the borehole.
Practical and theoretical training on how to construct the apron and well head and how to design (based on the pumping test results and water quality of the borehole) the pipe, storage, treatment and distribution infrastructure for the water being pumped out the borehole.
Course Information
The course will run over a 4-week period in August 2021. Course fees are £3900 to include - 4 weeks training, accommodation, food, drink and internal travel. The fees also help cover the costs of constructing the water supply for a community in North Uganda.
Students will also have to pay for their own visas, flights and any relevant vaccinations.
Groundwater Relief can assist students with fundraising to help cover course fees.
What interested potential students will need to do
Make sure they are free for the 4 weeks in late July/ August. Applications are open and the first round closes March 8th. The second round of applications will commence on the 19th March and end on April 4th.
Apply to the GDS via email with a CV and the application form which you can download here:
admin@groundwater-relief.org.
Why Groundwater Relief?
Groundwater Relief is a not for profit charity that specialises in providing technical support to organisations engaged in supplying water to the world's poorest and most vulnerable people. Via our membership of over 320 technical experts, we help organisations construct and manage groundwater infrastructure in a professional, responsible, cost effective and sustainable way, engaging local authorities, companies and institutions.
We have built up a trusted reputation with many of the major UN and International Non-Governmental Organisations. Since our conception Groundwater Relief has undertaken over 100 projects in Africa, Latin America and in Asia. This work has included groundwater exploration and groundwater resource assessments, groundwater modelling, geological mapping, supervising drilling campaigns, setting up groundwater monitoring programmes, developing data management systems, capacity building and training local organisations.
In 2013 Groundwater Relief successfully set up a drilling supervision course in the UK with collaboration with Cranfield University and RedR. This course has been running successfully ever since. Each year Groundwater Relief carries out bespoke training for humanitarian and development workers in many places across the world. Through our membership of over 320 groundwater experts we have support from some of the worlds leading groundwater experts. We are ideally placed to run this school.