Well drilling assistance for the health sector loan II project in the Dominican Republic

Special evaluation covers the period 1/80-5/82 and is based on discussions with project personnel during a visit to USAID/DR. To date, only 526 of the 746 wells dug since drilling began in 8/80 are satisfactory and equipped with handpumps; the other 220 have had to be abandoned. In addition, poor construction techniques and design, inadequate well testing and site acceptance procedures, and inadqeuate hamdpump maintenance have made 20% of the completed wells inoperable. Excessively high charges by local drillers (eight times higher than in Brazil), combined with the fact that drillers are paid for both successful and unsuccessful wells, have run up project costs. Technical analysis shows that: groundwater throughout the country's populated regions is probably less than 100 feet; except for some marl deposits, all rock should yield water adequate for groups of homes or small communities; the open space provided in the casing of the wells may be inadequate to permit water to enter the interior of the casing; mud created during drilling tends to seal the pores of water-bearing rock; when encountering low permeability marl, adequate storage within the well bore is needed to permit high rates of production in a short period of time; and project technical personnel have no consistent standard for establishing well depth (generally, wells penetrate the water table by 30 feet) nor consistent well-testing method. Several technical recommendations to improve the number of successful wells are provided. It is also recommended that: drilling continue even when the hardest rock is encountered; cost-plus contracting be considered, with a full review of contractor's accounting records; consideration be given to obtaining 5-10 Peace Corps geologists to be trained by George Washington University staff to provide technical assistance and supervision; and that the Secretariat of Health and Social Assistance (SESPAS) review the legal requirements for drilling and groundwater extraction and obtain (under pain of withholding of USAID/DR funds) whatever permits are needed.