How much does it cost to drill a borehole in South Africa?

The Cost of a Borehole

A common question that borehole drilling companies are asked is “How much does a borehole cost?” While this might seem like a straightforward question to ask, the answer certainly isn’t. It is the equivalent of asking how much a car cost.

The answer is reliant on on various factors. What kind of car do you need? What do you want to use the car for? There isn’t a blanket price for a car, and likewise there isn’t one for a borehole either.

The cost of a borehole is largely dependent on its depth and the amount of casing to be used. The type of rock that we have to rill through also influences the price, as does the actual ground conditions.

While most people expect the easiest drilling to be into soft and loose geologies, the opposite is generally true. A great difficulty of the drilling process is to keep the borehole open during the process, which is made more difficult when the hole is collapsing in on itself because of unstable and lose ground.

Borehole drilling companies in South Africa itemise all Their quotes, however, in a logical manner that makes them easy to understand, so that the customer is aware of the costs at every stage of the project.

Are Boreholes A Good Investment?

Low rainfall and drought conditions have left South Africa with eight out of the nine provinces declared disaster areas. In addition, the cost of water in South Africa has continued to increase over time, primarily due to inflation and shortages in water supply. The problem has further been aggravated by the recent low rainfall in South Africa.

BOREHOLES: MAJOR CAPITAL INSTALLATION COSTS

The following are the primary expenditures associated with installing a borehole:

• Site selection cost to determine whether and where to locate a groundwater production borehole.
• Borehole construction cost for:
• mobilisation of equipment to site and back to base,
• drilling per-hour (converted to per-metre) of drilling,
• casing entailing supply and installation of solid casing and screen, gravel pack, sanitary seal and well-head construction, and
• well development entailing cleaning of the borehole after construction.
• Pumping test cost for post-construction assessment of borehole and aquifer performance.
• Hadrochemical analysis cost of water quality testing for an intended use.
• Installation cost for a pump and/or potable water storage tank and reticulation system.
• Maintenance costs for annual checks to the pumping equipment, pipe work and repairs should there be any failures.
• Electricity costs for running the pump each time it is switched on.