Borehole & Water Services in Nigeria

With public water supply unreliable in most of the country, private boreholes and stored water are the norm rather than the exception, and the trade around them is well established.

The work covers drilling and construction of new boreholes, including geological survey, drilling, casing and development; installing and replacing submersible and surface pumps; overhead and underground tank supply and installation; and water treatment, which is the part most often skipped and most often regretted. Iron, hardness and bacteriological contamination are common in Nigerian groundwater and the treatment required varies significantly even between neighbouring compounds, which is why a water test is worth paying for before specifying a treatment system.

Maintenance work includes flushing and redeveloping boreholes with reduced yield, replacing failed submersible pumps, repairing control boxes and float switches, and cleaning and disinfecting storage tanks.

Before drilling, ask about the survey, the expected depth, what casing material is proposed, and what happens if the borehole fails to produce adequate water — this should be agreed in writing, since a dry hole is a real risk and the cost allocation is a frequent source of dispute. Providers listed here submitted their own details.