But where The Water Project (TWP) works in Sub-Saharan Africa, groundwater remains an underutilized lifeline \u2014 one that can be accessed safely, sustainably, and equitably when the right systems are in place. Our team, in partnership with local government and global best practices, has built a deep understanding of how our boreholes interact with aquifers and groundwater levels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s what we\u2019ve learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Problem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
An aquifer<\/a> is a naturally occurring underground layer of water-bearing rock or sediment. <\/p>\n\n\n Aquifers\u2019 water-holding and contamination-protecting<\/a> properties vary based on their surrounding geology. Some are shallow and vulnerable to contamination. Others are deeper and naturally protected. Some refill relatively quickly. Others \u201crecharge\u201d slowly over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe groundwater boom has also led to serious declines in groundwater levels in some areas, with attendant problems of quality deterioration, environmental degradation, and rising costs as some regions and countries now use more groundwater than is recharged naturally.\u201d<\/p>\nCobbing, 2019<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Because rainfall levels take so long to affect underground aquifers, one drought<\/a> won\u2019t necessarily harm a community\u2019s underground water resources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOne of the greatest benefits of groundwater is its resilience to climatic variation. Groundwater is not reliant on the last 1\u20132 years of rainfall, but integrates rainfall over years and decades.\u201d <\/p>\nUNESCO<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n But this benefit can become a detriment when times are dire: When we extract too much groundwater, aquifers often take a long time<\/a> to refill. Hydrogeologists and water resource engineers have developed methods to replicate this recharging process artificially<\/a>, but adoption of this practice has been slow<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite dire headlines about global groundwater depletion<\/a> in much of the world, most of Sub-Saharan Africa isn’t running out of groundwater like other nations that have been extracting high volumes for years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRegions heavily reliant on groundwater for irrigation include North America and South Asia, where 59% and 57% of the equipped area use groundwater, respectively, while in Northern Africa it is 35% and in Sub-Saharan Africa only 5%.\u201d<\/p>\nUNESCO<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Water sector experts have already mapped<\/a> Africa\u2019s vast groundwater resources. But unfortunately, the people of sub-Saharan Africa are still struggling to access their groundwater<\/a> in the first place. The real constraint in many African regions is not water scarcity, but the absence<\/a> of services and infrastructure: energy, trained personnel, equipment, financing, and institutional support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At The Water Project, we\u2019ve seen this firsthand. Water stress in the areas we serve is often the result of poverty, not hydrology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In these regions, a lack of water access doesn\u2019t mean a lack of groundwater. It means there aren\u2019t enough resources to tap into it safely and reliably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAt first glance, drilling and handpump technology does not appear to be incredibly complicated. However, the combination of technical, social, and institutional dimensions means that the provision of a sustainable groundwater resource is actually quite complex. \u201d<\/p>\nRural Water Supply Network<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Think of it like this: the aquifer is the pantry. But the community doesn\u2019t have a key to open the door. Or worse \u2014 maybe they do have a key, but it\u2019s rusty, and the lock is broken. That\u2019s what it\u2019s like relying on a contaminated spring or an unprotected well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn many Sub-Saharan countries, the water resources department of government is chronically underfunded, under-skilled and often ignored even when major problems are identified.\u201d<\/p>\nRural Water Supply Network<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s where The Water Project comes in. With a properly sited, drilled, and maintained borehole, that deep groundwater becomes accessible to the whole community \u2014 without overdrawing the supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even with so much groundwater just lying in wait for human use, being mindful of where and when we drill wells is still crucial. After all, there is much we can learn from previous generations\u2019 mistakes in other parts of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is why we never drill a well blindly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before siting a borehole, we conduct hydrogeological surveys<\/a> to understand the local geology, aquifer depth, and recharge conditions. We only proceed when groundwater access is both viable and sustainable. If it\u2019s not, we don\u2019t drill.<\/p>\n\n\n In our Western Kenya service area, the government requires that all planned borehole wells have an environmental impact report and hydrogeological survey conducted by an accredited hydrogeologist. Because the site has to be pre-approved by the government before drilling begins, this process often begins months before the drilling. The Water Project is fortunate to have an accredited hydrogeologist on staff in Western Kenya, who coordinates with the government and guides us in our effort to access precious groundwater resources responsibly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In Uganda, we conduct hydrogeological surveys at the time of drilling. The drillers conduct the survey and use it as a tool for borehole well siting, ensuring that groundwater is available before the drilling process begins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In Sierra Leone, our local team uses its own equipment for the surveys in order to reduce the frequency of failed drills in this region. Though the government does not require pre-approval of hydrogeological surveys, the Port Loko District is a geologically complex area that can be tricky for drilling, and a positive result from the hydrogeological survey improves the likelihood of success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In every case, local geology matters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Globally<\/a>, 69% of groundwater is used for agriculture, 22% for domestic use, and 9% for industry. The small-scale withdrawals from TWP-supported schools, healthcare facilities, and households are minimal by comparison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A single community borehole typically serves a few hundred people, each drawing just a few liters per person per day. Compared to large-scale agricultural or industrial pumping, the water drawn from community boreholes is minimal.<\/p>\n\n\n In fact, our team has examined this concern in detail and concluded that individual boreholes \u2014 especially those informed by hydrogeological surveys and monitored over time \u2014 do not pose a risk of depleting their aquifers. The maximum yield of most boreholes in our programs is simply too small to create a significant regional drawdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAn individual handpump is very unlikely to deplete an aquifer because the abstraction rate is so low compared to the replenishment of the resource by the average annual recharge. However, the combined effects of dozens, or hundreds of pumps at times of water stress (e.g. at the end of the dry season) may cause problems.\u201d <\/p>\nRural Water Supply Network<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n That means our water points, while carefully managed, do not significantly strain the aquifers from which they draw. But that doesn\u2019t mean it will always stay that way, which is why we continue to monitor groundwater levels throughout the regions we serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example: The Water Project worked with researchers<\/a> to simulate the impact of new wells in Kenya\u2019s Kakamega and Vihiga counties, where many of our projects are located. Using a groundwater modeling tool called MODFLOW<\/a>, they input real-world data like rainfall, soil type, aquifer depth, and river locations to test how new boreholes might affect groundwater levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The result? Even when the model assumed a full-size community well, most sites showed little to no long-term drawdown. In fact, the modeling process helped identify which areas were best suited for new wells \u2014 and flagged a few spots that might be more sensitive, so we could avoid them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This modeling gives us confidence that our boreholes won\u2019t deplete the aquifers. It also gives us a powerful tool for future planning, especially as more communities request access to safe water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We design our projects with sustainability at their core. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Borehole viability isn\u2019t a \u201cset it and forget it\u201d situation. Every borehole installed through The Water Project is added to our ongoing Water Promise<\/a> maintenance program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through this system, our monitoring and maintenance team members routinely track the following components of borehole wells:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This data helps us identify issues early and ensures a project\u2019s long-term sustainability. If a borehole starts underperforming or its water yields decrease, we can investigate and respond quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In some areas, multiple water points may draw from the same aquifer. We\u2019ve seen this especially in Western Kenya, where boreholes, protected springs, and shallow wells may share a groundwater source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGroundwater is an incredible gift of natural water supply infrastructure. However, unlike a man-made water supply network, an aquifer is not designed with the human end-user in mind and it doesn\u2019t exist in isolation. There are linkages between groundwater, rivers, lakes and wetlands. Therefore, whatever is taken for human use may have an ecological impact nearby. Understanding the cause-and-effect relationships requires detailed, long term data collection and study.\u201d<\/p>\nRural Water Supply Network<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n To prevent overlap and oversaturation, our teams:<\/p>\n\n\n\n We designed these checks to avoid clustering water points and to protect the integrity of aquifers as a shared resource.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, when boreholes are thoughtfully sited and maintained, adding more water points can actually reduce pressure on any single source \u2014 helping preserve access to groundwater over the long term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In some regions where aquifer depletion is a problem, demand is concentrated at a handful of old water points. Too many people drawing from one source can stress it \u2014 not always because of overpumping, but sometimes because of poor design or lack of maintenance.<\/p>\n\n\n Spreading out water use by installing multiple properly functioning boreholes \u2014 each monitored, maintained, and built to match the local hydrogeology \u2014 relieves pressure on any one source. This reduces the risk of mechanical failure, improves water access, and preserves groundwater in the long run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TWP is working on long-term groundwater sustainability efforts, both by publishing papers<\/a> to raise awareness on the issue and by sharing our basic water point data through our water point monitoring software, mWater<\/a>, for other entities to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No, because we do them right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Borehole wells aren\u2019t a silver bullet. But when they\u2019re thoughtfully sited, responsibly drilled, and monitored over time, they\u2019re one of the most powerful tools we have to create safe, reliable water access in sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In our work areas, we\u2019re not running out of groundwater. We\u2019re running out of time \u2014 time to turn underground potential into real-world impact. Time to reach every last household still walking and waiting for water. And time to meet the UN\u2019s goal<\/a> of universal access to safe water by 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s the work we\u2019re committed to every day. And every borehole well we build \u2014 and even every well we don\u2019t build when conditions aren\u2019t right \u2014 is part of a bigger promise: to protect this precious resource while unlocking it for the people who need it most. And to keep that water flowing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thewaterproject.org\/community\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/aquifer_schematic.gif\")
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The Untapped Opportunity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Poverty Limits Water Access\u2014Not the Aquifer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Not All Aquifers Are the Same<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Residential Boreholes Don’t Have the Yield to Drain Aquifers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Monitoring Ensures We Catch Problems Early<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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A Safety Net for Shared Water Tables<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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More Boreholes, More Spread-Out Water Access<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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So… Do TWP\u2019s Wells Deplete Groundwater Reserves?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n