Borehole Drilling Can Shield You Against Water Restrictions
Water disruptions are becoming commonplace occurrences. This can happen due to the planned shutdown of critical water pipelines for maintenance or upgrades (and total infrastructure failures), reservoirs running empty due to drought, or due to government-mandated restrictions that limit water usage during certain specific times. Whether one can blame it all on poor planning and corruption on a municipal and provincial level is up for debate, but the fact remains that water disruptions are probably going to keep happening for the foreseeable future.
Unfortunately, ordinary citizens still have to bear the brunt of governmental restrictions and it is up to private individuals to make preparations to withstand water disruptions of all kinds. Borehole drilling is a popular and cost-effective method to shield yourself against these disruptions. This article explains why you can stand to benefit from borehole drilling and provides some additional information you should be aware of before you conduct borehole drilling on your property.
Having A Borehole Means Having Consistent Access to Water
It is often difficult to appreciate something until it is no longer there. It is easy to forget how much we rely on water until it gets cut off – our hearts sink and our tempers rise the moment the water pressure goes down or stops completely. We rely on water for everything we do, from cooking and cleaning to watering our gardens. Borehole drilling is thus a major blessing in that it provides people with consistent access to water (even during disruptions).
Borehole Drilling Is Not Without Restrictions
Boreholes are not bottomless pits with endless quantities of water, so they are not necessarily a catch-all remedy for water access problems, however. Boreholes access aquifers deep underground and these aquifers need to be refilled from time to time, but this usually happens naturally when the area experiences rainfall or flooding. It is thus entirely possible that you may still be required to restrict your water usage during intense droughts, but at least you will have better access to water than your neighbours and peers.
In Pretoria, there are laws and bylaws that govern the usage of boreholes and any kind of associated drilling. Before you employ a company like Inyati to drill on your property, you need to be aware of the limits imposed on boreholes. While we at Inyati are well-versed in the requirements to drill on private and public property, we still advise customers to arm themselves with the knowledge to be self-sufficient. If you know what to expect, you can make an informed decision before the drill even hits the soil on your property. Below are some of the key restrictions you need to know.
- Water obtained from boreholes on private property may only be used on that specific property.
- You may not sell water obtained in this way.
- Water safety is the property owner’s responsibility.
- Pre-drill geotechnical surveys may be required in areas that are rich in dolomite. If there is a high concentration of dolomite, drilling will be prohibited in most areas.
- Borehole owners must have clear signage visible on the property.
If you need to make use of our expertise, you can contact us for more information.