76 Protec ting Communit y Water
Protected Wells
There are many kinds of wells for drawing up groundwater. The simplest is a
hand-dug water hole, sometimes called a scoophole. The most costly kind of
well, called a tube well, is a narrow pipe going deep into the ground with a
pump at the top to draw water out.
A well is useful only if people can get water out of it. The best well for
any community depends on the depth of the groundwater and the resources
available for digging, drilling, and building a well. In many cases, simple
shallow wells where people draw water in buckets may be better than costly
deep wells that require pumps. Several shallow wells are often better than
one deep well, because if one well goes dry, the others can still provide water.
When people stand on the lip of the well or use unclean buckets,
the water in the well can be made unsafe.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012