DIGGING A BOREWELL

Before the start of construction, it is useful to have a source of water at the site, since a lot of water will be required during the construction. Moreover, even if they have municipal water supply, the water source will be an additional source of water for the inmates after they move into the house. 

SOURCES OF WATER IN A HOUSE:

The most common Water sources in a Site are the Open Well, the Borewell (Drilled Well) and the Municipal Water supply. 

Open Well: is an excavation in the ground created by digging to access the groundwater which is naturally stored below the ground as a result of the seeping in of rainwater. This water is more likely to be polluted as it is near the Earth's surface. Nowadays in cities, it is uncommon to find water by digging a well.

Borewell (Drilled Well): is much deeper and water is got by driving, boring or drilling through rock to an aquifer below. This water is most likely to be uncontaminated as it is sandwiched between rocks deep below the Earth. Borewells are the most common sources of water in cities.

GROUND WORK BEFORE DIGGING BOREWELL: 

Before digging the borewell, do some research and ground work. Enquire about borewells in the surrounding sites/area. Gather information on the percentage of successful to failed bore wells near your site. Find out to what depth the nearby borewells had to be dug to get water and how many inches of water they got. 

All this information will enable you to be mentally and financially prepared for the dig. So even if you are expecting to hit water at a certain depth and fail, you will be ready to dig further down till you get water.   

GETTING QUOTES FROM VENDORS FOR DIGGING THE BOREWELL: 

Get recommendations from friends, neighbors on the borewell companies. In case you have no good recommendations, go through the local classifieds, internet reviews and shortlist four or five borewell vendors. Then get quotes from all of them.

 GET A WATER DIVINER TO VISIT YOUR SITE:

Get a water diviner to visit your site to locate possible points for digging the borewell. You can get a contact from friends or local borewell companies. There are two types of water-diviners, traditional ones and geo-technical ones. Both will give you at least two points for digging a borewell in your site and the likely depth at which you may get water.  I personally prefer using the services of  geo-technical water diviner since he uses scientific methods and is more accurate in his prediction.

COMPARE THE QUOTATIONS FOR DIGGING THE BOREWELL:

Once you get quotations, compare their prices on an (excel sheet). It is important to compare each item price instead of the final price because there may be some hidden costs in some quotes. For example, some borewell companies quote the same rate/foot for the first 300 feet and then increase the rate/foot for further digging while some others will quote the same rate for only the first 250 feet. Their charges may also differ from season to season also. For example it is more in summer.

GETTING PERMISSION TO DIG A BOREWELL: 

In Bangalore, to check further exploitation of groundwater and also to keep a tab on those using groundwater for commercial purposes, the Department of Mines and Geology has made it mandatory for people to take permission from the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) to drill new borewells. Even existing borewell users — both domestic and commercial — should register with BWSSB in the prescribed format by paying a fee. All details are provided in this link.Failure to comply can attract a penalty of up to Rs. 10,000 and/or imprisonment up to three years.

PAYMENT TO BWSSB:

Download the relevant BWSSB forms and fill it with the relevant details.  Pay Rs 50 for drinking purpose and Rs 500 for commercial/industrial purpose at any Canara Bank in favour of BWSSB current account No.0788201052332. Visit your sub-division's BWSSB office and submit the Form with copies of the bank challan and latest BWSSB bill & payment receipt.
Once you have done this, your future monthly BWSSB bills will also include a Rs.50 charge for well/borewell.

DIGGING THE BOREWELL:  

After finalising a vendor based on the price and credibility, the vendor will visit your site to check whether his equipment will be accessible. Before digging, inform all your neighbors, so that they are prepared and can go elsewhere to avoid the dust and noise
It is preferable if high speed hydraulic rigs are used as the work will be faster and require less manual effort. Usually 6 or 7 inch diameter bore well drill bit is used for digging borewells for domestic purposes.

VASTU SHASTRA GUIDELINES FOR THE WELL OR BOREWELL:

If  it is not possible to get water by digging a Well, or if there is the likelihood that an open Well will get polluted, then a Borewell can be drilled after consulting an expert and a water diviner, and only if there is good yield of water.

The Well should have a circular cross-section.

The Well should be dug after the bhoomi pooja has been performed on the site, at an astrologically auspicious time. 

It is ideal that the digging of a Well/Borewell be completed within a day as it can be fenced off or in case of a Borewell, covered with a stump to prevent anyone from falling in. 

It is better to start the digging early and complete the digging before night as one cannot see clearly.

Avoid trees around an open Well.

Alum, limestone, gooseberry bark help to keep the water clear.

VAASTU GUIDELINES FOR  POSITION OF A WELL/ BOREWELL/WATER SOURCE:

First option for a well is the North-East.  

Second option for the Well is the North or the East sides.

Avoid a Well in the South, South-West or North-West.

Avoid a Well in the middle of the Site.

Avoid a well and pump house very close to the compound walls.

Avoid a Well touching the House walls.

Avoid sharing of well between two properties.

This post was about the Water Source, the Digging of Well/Borewell. Read about the next Step in Construction:

• TEMPORARY SHED AND POWER

To know more about the different stages involved in the construction of a house, go to:

• HOUSE CONSTRUCTION IN INDIA

• VAASTU GUIDELINES | CONSTRUCTION OF STORAGE SHED