A borehole can produce water and still leave a school, business or residential facility with an unreliable supply. The source may not meet peak demand, storage may be inadequate, treatment may be unsuitable, or no one may be responsible for operating the system.
The better starting point is the complete journey from groundwater to the point of use. Drilling is one decision within that system.
Define demand before choosing equipment
List who will use the water and for what purpose: drinking, food preparation, washrooms, cleaning, irrigation or process use. Record operating hours and the activities that create concentrated demand. A school’s break periods and a workshop’s washdown routine may put very different demands on otherwise similar daily volumes.
Ask the design team to distinguish estimated daily demand, peak use, required storage and acceptable interruption. Make the assumptions visible, especially where future expansion is expected. Buying a pump first makes the remaining design work an exercise in accommodating equipment that may not suit the source or users.
Confirm responsibilities and regulatory requirements
Ghana’s Water Resources Commission states in its notice on borehole licensing and registration that clients should engage licensed water-well drillers and register their boreholes. Ask for evidence of the driller’s current licence before awarding the drilling work.
Registration and permission to abstract water are related but distinct questions. The Commission publishes application forms and supporting information; confirm the requirements for the proposed use, abstraction arrangement and scale directly with WRC. Do not assume a domestic arrangement covers a commercial or institutional operation.
Put responsibility for submissions, records and follow-up in the project scope. An approval dependency that belongs to everyone in principle often belongs to nobody in practice.
Investigate the site without promising a guaranteed outcome
Discuss existing wells, local ground conditions, access for the rig, potential contamination sources and the space available for a protected wellhead and associated equipment. Site investigations can inform decisions, but a promising location does not justify a guaranteed yield or water-quality claim before drilling and testing.
Agree what happens if the first drilling attempt does not produce an acceptable source. The contract should make unsuccessful work, additional investigation, alternative locations and any abandonment requirements understandable before mobilisation.
Treat quantity and quality as separate acceptance questions
Ask the specialist to propose appropriate testing and explain what the results establish. Pumping-test information helps the designer assess source behaviour and operating arrangements. Water-quality results inform suitability for the intended use and any treatment requirements. One does not replace the other.
Clear-looking water is not proof of drinking-water safety. The WHO water safety planning approach considers risks throughout the supply chain, from source to consumer. A satisfactory initial result does not remove the need to protect storage, distribution and handling.
Avoid choosing treatment solely because a neighbour uses it. Ask what each proposed treatment stage is intended to address, how its performance will be checked and what consumables, waste handling and operator attention it requires.
Design a system someone can operate
Discuss power availability, pump controls, storage location, access for cleaning and maintenance, isolation points and the route to the users. Ask how a failed component will be reached and replaced. Include the cost of keeping the system working, rather than comparing drilling prices alone.
WHO’s sanitary inspection packages for small supplies provide a structured way to identify contamination risks during site inspections. This is a useful reminder that safe operation involves the surroundings and condition of the supply, not only a laboratory report.
Specify the handover evidence
- Well-construction and drilling records, with the source clearly identified.
- Relevant pumping-test and water-quality reports, including dates and sampling details.
- Pump, control and treatment equipment information.
- A drawing or clear record of storage, distribution and isolation arrangements.
- Operating instructions, maintenance tasks and an agreed monitoring plan.
- Registration or permit records as applicable, and named operating responsibilities.
Questions worth asking before you commit
What demand assumptions are being used? What evidence will support source acceptance? Who specifies treatment? What happens during a power interruption? Who notices an abnormal condition, and what should they do?
These questions help turn a drilling quotation into a water-supply plan. The desired outcome is a supply that meets the intended need and can be managed responsibly throughout its working life.
Planning work on your site? Discuss your project with EEACL, including the location, intended use and any drawings or photographs already available.
Research checked 9 October 2026. This article supports project planning; specifications, testing and approvals must be agreed for the actual site and intended use. Photographs are illustrative images from the EEACL portfolio.
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