Climate Change Adaptation Technologies for Water

A practitioner’s guide to adaptation technologies for increased

water sector resilience
WATER ADAPTATION TECHNOLOGY BRIEF

Boreholes and tube wells

Challenge: Too little water Adaptation response: Alternative water sources

Description
Boreholes and tube wells are important adaptation technology measures for providing a domestic water
supply during times of water shortages and drought. They extract freshwater from subsurface or deeper
groundwater aquifers. The approach can include both creating new boreholes and tube wells (for
example as a drought response measure), or deepening or rehabilitating existing ones.

Implementation
Tube wells are relatively easy to construct and often can be installed using a hand auger. The main
component of a tube well is a narrow screened tube, pipe or casing that is driven into a subsurface
aquifer. Boreholes are similar to tube wells, but differ in that they are used to access deeper and more
difficult to tap water resources, as well as requiring bedrock penetration.
Once constructed, both types of wells would require a pump to transport water to the surface for
domestic or irrigation purposes. Pumping tools include hand-operated pumps, diesel pumps, electric
pumps and solar driven pumps.
Repairing already existing boreholes (for example by fixing pump mechanical failures) can be an
inexpensive way to create water access without having to drill new wells. This usually costs far less than
establishing new holes.
Borehole and tube well siting should consider soil type, existing water point locations, proximity of
potential contamination sources, population distribution, and area water availability (including water
table depth). In areas prone to flooding, the wells can be constructed on elevated platforms to avoid
contamination during flood events. To maximize benefits, groundwater surveys should be conducted. If
the borehole or tube well is used as a drinking water source, precautions should be taken to ensure that
water quality is acceptable.

Environmental Benefits
- Relieves pressures on surface water sources, reducing risks of pollution and degradation.
Socioeconomic Benefits
- Provides freshwater for domestic and other uses in times of drought.
- Produces high quality water, reducing health risks that may occur from use of surface water sources.
- Helps avoid interruption of significant socioeconomic activities during dry periods, for example when
used for irrigation.

Opportunities and Barriers

Opportunities:

- Increased diversification of water sources provides for more water but also increases water
supply resiliency.

Barriers:

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Climate Change Adaptation Technologies for Water
A practitioner’s guide to adaptation technologies for increased
water sector resilience
WATER ADAPTATION TECHNOLOGY BRIEF

- Requires pumping and associated energy supply (and costs) for larger volumes, though solar
water pumps are becoming increasingly viable
- Requires knowledge of local geological conditions and assessments of chosen drilling sites
- Poorly coordinated well development can cause a groundwater table decrease and create risk of
over-abstraction
- In areas with high climate variability (floods and droughts), tube wells and boreholes are at risk
of being contaminated during flood events.

Implementation considerations*
Technological maturity: 5
Initial investment: 1-2
Operational costs: 1-2
Implementation timeframe: 1-2

* This adaptation technology brief includes a general assessment of four dimensions relating to implementation of the
technology. It represents an indicative assessment scale of 1-5 as follows:
Technological maturity: 1 - in early stages of research and development, to 5 – fully mature and widely used
Initial investment: 1 – very low cost, to 5 – very high cost investment needed to implement technology
Operational costs: 1 – very low/no cost, to 5 – very high costs of operation and maintenance
Implementation timeframe: 1 – very quick to implement and reach desired capacity, to 5 – significant time investments needed
to establish and/or reach full capacity
This assessment is to be used as an indication only and is to be seen as relative to the other technologies included in this guide.
More specific costs and timelines are to be identified as relevant for the specific technology and geography.

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Climate Change Adaptation Technologies for Water
A practitioner’s guide to adaptation technologies for increased
water sector resilience
WATER ADAPTATION TECHNOLOGY BRIEF

Sources and further information

CABI (2015). Climate Change Challenges and Adaptations at Farm-level. Case Studies from Asia and
Africa, Edited by N P Singh, Principal Scientist (Economics). ICRISAT, India, C Bantilan, Director (RP-MIP).
ICRISAT, India, K Byjesh, Consultant. ICRISAT, India, S Nedumaran, Scientist (Economics). ICRISAT, India,
CABI Climate Change Series, November 2015

ClimateTechWiki (2017). Domestic water supply during drought,

http://www.climatetechwiki.org/content/domestic-water-supply-during-drought

De Lopez, T. T. (Ed.), Elliott, M., Armstrong, A., Lobuglio, J., & Bartram, J. (2011). Technologies for
Climate Change Adaptation - The Water Sector. Roskilde: Danmarks Tekniske Universitet, Risø
Nationallaboratoriet for Bæredygtig Energi. (TNA Guidebook Series). Available at:
orbit.dtu.dk/files/7689720/TNA_Guidebook_AdaptationWater.pdf

UNFCCC. 2014. Technologies for Adaptation in the Water Sector. TEC Brief #5, United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change.

WaterAid (2012). Handbook: Climate Change and Disaster Resilient Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
Practices, December 2012, WaterAid in Bangladesh

WaterAid Bangladesh (2006). Step by step implementation guideline for tubewells, Dhaka, May 2006.
Available at: www.wateraid.org/~/media/Publications/tubewell-guidelines-rural.pdf

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