Access to clean water is necessary to ensure health, nutrition, education and livelihoods. In many places hand-dug wells are a popular method for households to access groundwater, but as the wells are dug by hand, the ground must be a suitable material – for example, clays, sands, gravels and mixed soils where there are no large boulders.
This tool gives guidance on choosing and constructing an appropriate type of well to access water, mainly for domestic use. It covers how to locate, design, build, operate and maintain the well, considering the community’s needs and available resources.
