Barak Bruerd

Hand Dug Well

Posted on September 05, 2009 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

In areas with shallow (and sometimes not so shallow) ground water, hand dug wells are a an access technology that dates back to the dawn of man.  But as ancient and quaint as they may seem, hand dug wells are more or less disease-in-a-pit, especially when dry season concentrates the pathogens living in the well (kind of like reducing a soup to concentrate the flavor).  Latrine proximity is also a significant issue – not only because of leeching human waste, but because too often, the pits are dug all the way down to the water table (hey, if you’re going to go to the effort, dig once really big right?).  Hand dug wells like this also presents a significant safety issue b/c they are unlined and uncapped.  Stories of animals and even children falling down wells are far from uncommon, and well-collapse has caused more than one death.

Tags: Still Life, Water, Zambia

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