Reliable access to water is essential for homes, farms, schools, hotels, industries, institutions and commercial developments across Uganda. Where piped water is unavailable, unreliable or insufficient, a properly designed borehole can provide an independent groundwater supply.
Pro-Logic Technologies Limited, working with Hydrosol Drilling Solution, provides borehole and groundwater development solutions designed for domestic, agricultural, commercial and institutional applications.
Our borehole projects can include hydrogeological surveys, borehole drilling, casing installation, well development, pump testing, water-quality testing, submersible pump installation, solar pumping systems, water storage tanks, water towers, pipework and complete water distribution systems.
Uganda's Ministry of Water and Environment regulates groundwater development and borehole drilling. The Ministry states that drilling companies must have the appropriate drilling permits, while groundwater abstraction using a motorised or powered pump requires a groundwater abstraction permit.
Table of Contents
PROFESSIONAL BOREHOLE DRILLING SERVICES IN UGANDA
A borehole should not simply be drilled at a convenient location and fitted with a pump. A successful project requires proper planning, groundwater investigation, suitable drilling equipment, professional borehole construction and appropriate pumping equipment.
Our approach begins by understanding your water requirements and assessing the proposed site.
We can provide borehole solutions for:
- Private homes
- Residential estates
- Farms
- Schools
- Hospitals
- Hotels
- Guest houses
- Apartments
- Commercial buildings
- Factories
- Construction sites
- Churches
- Mosques
- Institutions
- Agricultural projects
- Livestock farms
- Irrigation projects
- Community water projects
- Industrial water requirements
HYDROGEOLOGICAL SURVEY BEFORE DRILLING
Before drilling, a groundwater investigation should be carried out to identify areas with promising groundwater potential and determine an appropriate drilling location.
The investigation may consider geological information, existing boreholes, groundwater conditions, topography and geophysical information.
A properly conducted survey helps reduce unnecessary drilling risks and assists in selecting a technically suitable drilling point.
However, groundwater exploration should never be presented as an absolute guarantee that a particular drilling point will produce a specific volume of water. Groundwater conditions vary according to local geology and aquifer characteristics.
BOREHOLE DRILLING PROCESS
Once the drilling location and necessary approvals have been established, drilling equipment is mobilised to the site.
The drilling process generally involves:
1. SITE PREPARATION
The drilling area is cleared and prepared. Equipment access, water requirements, drilling fluid management and safety considerations are assessed.
2. DRILLING
The drilling rig penetrates the subsurface formations to investigate and reach the targeted water-bearing formations.
The drilling depth varies from one location to another. There is no single standard borehole depth for the whole of Uganda.
3. GEOLOGICAL LOGGING
The materials encountered during drilling are observed and recorded. This helps determine the geological formations encountered and assists in designing the borehole construction.
4. CASING INSTALLATION
Appropriate casing is installed to support the borehole and help prevent collapse of unstable formations.
5. SCREEN INSTALLATION
Where required, well screens are installed across suitable water-bearing formations to allow groundwater to enter the borehole while helping retain formation material.
6. GRAVEL PACKING
A suitable filter/gravel pack may be placed around screened sections where the borehole design requires it.
7. WELL DEVELOPMENT
The borehole is developed to remove drilling residues and fine materials and improve the hydraulic connection between the borehole and surrounding aquifer.
8. PUMP TESTING
A pumping test helps establish borehole performance and provides information required for selecting a suitable pumping system.
9. WATER QUALITY TESTING
Water from a new borehole should be tested before being used for drinking or other sensitive applications.
10. PUMP INSTALLATION
A suitable submersible pump can then be selected and installed according to the borehole characteristics and required water demand.
BOREHOLE PUMP INSTALLATION IN UGANDA
Drilling the borehole is only one part of a complete water project.
The pumping system must be correctly selected according to:
- Borehole depth
- Static water level
- Dynamic water level
- Borehole yield
- Required flow rate
- Required pumping head
- Storage tank height
- Pipeline distance
- Electrical supply
- Daily water demand
Installing an oversized pump can create unnecessary energy consumption and may negatively affect borehole performance. Installing an undersized pump may result in insufficient water delivery.
Professional pump selection is therefore important.
SOLAR-POWERED BOREHOLE SYSTEMS
For farms, rural properties, schools, institutions and locations where electricity is unavailable or expensive, solar-powered borehole pumping can be an effective option.
A complete solar borehole system can include:
- Solar panels
- Solar pump controller
- Submersible solar pump
- Borehole cables
- Protection equipment
- Water storage tank
- Water tower
- Pipework
- Float switches
- Level sensors
- Control equipment
Instead of relying entirely on grid electricity or a generator, solar energy can power the pumping system during suitable daylight conditions.
The size of the solar system should be calculated from the pump requirements and the required daily water production.
WATER TANK AND WATER TOWER INSTALLATION
After pumping groundwater to the surface, water needs to be stored and distributed.
We can integrate borehole systems with:
- Plastic water tanks
- Steel tanks
- Elevated water tanks
- Concrete water towers
- Steel water towers
- Tank stands
- Automatic level controls
- Pressure systems
- Distribution pipework
A properly designed elevated tank can provide gravity-fed distribution and reduce dependence on continuous pumping.
BOREHOLE WATER FOR IRRIGATION
Agriculture is one of the major applications for groundwater.
A properly designed borehole can support:
- Vegetable farming
- Greenhouses
- Fruit farming
- Flower farming
- Nurseries
- Crop irrigation
- Livestock watering
- Dairy farms
- Poultry farms
- Commercial agricultural projects
For irrigation projects, the borehole yield must be considered together with the crop water requirement, irrigation method, storage capacity and pumping schedule.
A borehole should not be pumped continuously beyond its sustainable performance simply because a large volume of water is required.
BOREHOLE WATER FOR HOMES
A domestic borehole can provide water for:
- Drinking after appropriate treatment
- Cooking
- Bathing
- Laundry
- Toilet flushing
- Cleaning
- Gardening
- Car washing
- General household use
Where borehole water is intended for drinking, laboratory testing should be carried out to determine its chemical and microbiological characteristics.
Depending on the results, treatment may be required.
BOREHOLE WATER FOR HOTELS AND COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS
Hotels, apartments, offices, shopping facilities and other commercial properties can have substantial daily water requirements.
A complete commercial borehole system can include:
BOREHOLE → SUBMERSIBLE PUMP → CONTROL SYSTEM → STORAGE TANK → WATER TOWER → DISTRIBUTION NETWORK
For larger developments, additional equipment may be required depending on the design.
The system can be engineered around peak demand rather than simply average daily consumption.
BOREHOLES FOR SCHOOLS AND INSTITUTIONS
Schools and institutions require dependable water for students, staff, sanitation, kitchens, cleaning and landscaping.
A borehole project for an institution should therefore consider:
- Number of users
- Daily water consumption
- Peak demand
- Storage capacity
- Pump capacity
- Borehole yield
- Water treatment
- Distribution network
- Future expansion
Adequate storage can provide an important buffer during periods when pumping is unavailable.
WATER QUALITY TESTING
Finding groundwater does not automatically mean that the water is suitable for drinking.
Groundwater can contain naturally occurring minerals or contaminants introduced through local environmental conditions.
Testing can assess relevant parameters such as:
- pH
- Turbidity
- Electrical conductivity
- Total dissolved solids
- Hardness
- Iron
- Manganese
- Nitrates
- Fluoride
- Chloride
- Sulphates
- Microbiological parameters
The exact laboratory test panel should be selected according to the intended use and applicable standards.
The Uganda Ministry of Water and Environment lists water-quality testing and borehole registration among its water-resource management services.
BOREHOLE WATER TREATMENT
If laboratory results show that treatment is required, the treatment system should be designed around the actual water-quality results.
Possible treatment technologies may include:
- Sediment filtration
- Activated carbon filtration
- Iron removal
- Manganese removal
- Water softening
- Reverse osmosis
- UV treatment
- Chlorination
- Other specialised treatment systems
There is no universal treatment system suitable for every borehole.
The correct approach is to test first and design treatment according to the results.
BOREHOLE REHABILITATION
An existing borehole can sometimes experience reduced performance because of:
- Mineral deposits
- Blocked screens
- Sediment accumulation
- Biofouling
- Pump problems
- Damaged casing
- Changes in groundwater conditions
Borehole rehabilitation can involve inspection, cleaning, redevelopment, pumping tests and equipment replacement depending on the problem.
Before abandoning an underperforming borehole, a technical assessment can help determine whether rehabilitation is practical.
BOREHOLE PUMP REPLACEMENT
A failed submersible pump can cause complete loss of water supply.
Common symptoms include:
- No water coming from the borehole
- Reduced water pressure
- Pump tripping electrical protection
- Unusual electrical readings
- Excessive running time
- Reduced flow
- Pump failure
A pump should be diagnosed before replacement so that the new pump is correctly matched to the borehole.
BOREHOLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
A borehole pumping installation requires appropriate electrical protection.
Depending on the system, this may include:
- Control panels
- Motor protection
- Overload protection
- Dry-run protection
- Surge protection
- Circuit breakers
- Level controls
- Float switches
- Pressure switches
- Solar pump controllers
- Variable-speed drives
Correct electrical protection helps protect the pumping equipment and improves system reliability.
BOREHOLE DRILLING FOR LARGE WATER PROJECTS
Large projects may require more than simply drilling one borehole.
We can help develop complete water infrastructure consisting of:
GROUNDWATER SURVEY
↓
BOREHOLE DRILLING
↓
BOREHOLE CONSTRUCTION
↓
WELL DEVELOPMENT
↓
PUMP TESTING
↓
WATER QUALITY TESTING
↓
SUBMERSIBLE PUMP
↓
SOLAR OR ELECTRICAL POWER
↓
WATER STORAGE
↓
WATER TOWER
↓
PIPELINE NETWORK
↓
WATER TREATMENT
↓
END USERS
This integrated approach allows the borehole to become part of a complete water-supply system.
BOREHOLE DRILLING ACROSS UGANDA
Borehole projects can be considered in many parts of Uganda, subject to site-specific groundwater conditions and regulatory requirements.
Our target service areas can include:
- Kampala
- Wakiso
- Mukono
- Jinja
- Entebbe
- Mbarara
- Mbale
- Gulu
- Lira
- Masaka
- Fort Portal
- Hoima
- Kabale
- Kasese
- Arua
- Soroti
- Iganga
- Tororo
- Busia
- Masindi
- Nakasongola
- Mubende
- Kamuli
- Kumi
- Kitgum
- Moroto
- Kotido
- Yumbe
- Adjumani
- Nebbi
- Bushenyi
- Ntungamo
- Isingiro
- Rakai
- Kyotera
- Kabarole
- Kyenjojo
- Kiryandongo
- Koboko
- and surrounding districts.
The actual groundwater potential and drilling requirements must always be assessed at the individual project site.
WHY CHOOSE A COMPLETE BOREHOLE SOLUTION?
Choosing a contractor capable of handling the wider water system can simplify project coordination.
Instead of treating drilling, pumping, solar power, storage and distribution as unrelated projects, they can be designed as one integrated system.
This can help ensure compatibility between:
- Borehole yield
- Pump capacity
- Solar generation
- Storage volume
- Water tower height
- Pipeline size
- Treatment capacity
- Daily demand
BOREHOLE DRILLING AND GOVERNMENT REQUIREMENTS IN UGANDA
Borehole development in Uganda is regulated by the Ministry of Water and Environment.
The Ministry states that it assesses applications and issues permits relating to groundwater abstraction, borehole drilling and other water-resource activities. It also states that borehole drilling companies must hold valid annual drilling permits before commencing drilling activities.
Uganda's Water Resources Regulations also provide for drilling permits for businesses engaged in constructing boreholes and construction permits for certain borehole works.
For this reason, clients should work with appropriately qualified and permitted professionals and confirm the current regulatory requirements applicable to their project.
GET A COMPLETE BOREHOLE WATER SYSTEM
Whether you need water for a home, farm, hotel, school, factory, apartment development or community project, the objective should be more than simply making a hole in the ground.
A successful borehole project should deliver a reliable, properly constructed and appropriately pumped groundwater source integrated with suitable storage, power and distribution infrastructure.
Pro-Logic Technologies Limited and Hydrosol Drilling Solution can provide solutions covering groundwater investigation, borehole drilling, pump installation, solar pumping, water towers, storage tanks, pipework and related water infrastructure.
For projects in Uganda, site conditions, water requirements and regulatory requirements should be assessed before drilling begins.
COMPLETE BOREHOLE SOLUTIONS
HYDROGEOLOGICAL SURVEY • BOREHOLE DRILLING • CASING • WELL DEVELOPMENT • PUMP TESTING • WATER QUALITY TESTING • SUBMERSIBLE PUMPS • SOLAR BOREHOLE SYSTEMS • WATER TANKS • WATER TOWERS • PIPEWORK • WATER TREATMENT • BOREHOLE REHABILITATION
For professional borehole development in Uganda, contact Pro-Logic Technologies Limited / Hydrosol Drilling Solution for project assessment and planning.