Everybody desires a cost effective and affordable Borehole in his house, office, community , etc. However, have you ever wondered why the cost of borehole drilling in Nigeria varies. In some areas, it costs as high as N500, 000, N1,000, 000 and even more, while some pay as low as N250, 000, N180, 000 and even N120, 000. I am here to give you a breakdown account for this. However, this does not rule out the fact that non professionals can issue a low quite to attract clients and deliver substandard work.
The cost of borehole is influenced by so many factors such as:
1. The Geology of the Environment:
The specific parameter to look out for here is the nature of formation in the sub surface and depth of water table. In the Niger Delta terrain where the depth of water table is as low as 150feet to 250feet, and even 80 feet, the cost of borehole varies between N120, 000 to N250, 000, but to get an accurate quote a proper geological survey is necessary or preliminary investigation is paramount to identifying the exact position of the water table.
2. Number of Casing: A casing is a lining given to a borehole to avoid collapse of the hole, interference of formation on the transmitted water, and more so, to prevent contamination with the aquifer. In an area where the water table is between 80ft to 250ft, you may require 8 to 25 number of casing, which unit cost is about N6, 000. So the more the casing, the more the cost of casing, which overall influence the overall cost of the borehole. For a bore hole with water table depth of ove 1000feet, you can expect to pay more for the casing and more so bore hole construction.
3. Type of Drilling Equipment: There are 2 major equipment used for drilling equipment are the manual rig and the motorized rig depending on the parameters of interest. The tripod is used for the manual drilling and does not go beyond 250ft, and as such when you are drilling and does not go beyond this depth, you need the motorized rig. The cost of using a Tripod is N30, 000 for daily use, while for a motorized rig, you need N500, 000 for a daily use. This will overall impact on the cost of Borehole Construction. More so drilling a borehole in a basement terrain, clay or more difficult environment, we recommend a motorized rig. This rig is also required in terrain where water table is as high as 1000ft and more.
4. Type of Submersible Pump: There are types of submersible pumps used for borehole construction, depending on the expected pump rate for the borehole. This pump rate of this system is determined by the horsepower of each submersible pump. A submersible pump with a horsepower of 1.5 cost between N16, 000 and N20, 000 and will not add much to the cost of the borehole construction, but a pump of 9.0 and above horsepower, which cost N85, 000 and above, it will considerably add to the cost of borehole construction. We recommend a pump of 1.5 to horsepower for domestic use, and 9.0 horsepower submersible pump for a commercial pump.
5. Other factors include Water Analysis and Treatment, etc.
