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152 Diagnosing Corruption in Ethiopia
Box 4.5
The Costs of Shallow Well Construction: Where Are the
Corruption Risks?
An analysis of invoiced costs for the boreholes in this study indicates that drilling
costs make up roughly half the total cost of a shallow borehole, with total costs
varying between US$2,700 to US$4,800 per borehole (excluding hand pump
installation and taxes, both minor costs). These numbers are similar to those found
in other African countries. For example, a recent study of borehole costs across
Nigeria found median costs per shallow borehole (< 50 meters [m]) of approximately
US$5,000 (Adekile and Olabode 2009), although costs of around US$120
per meter are not unusual for shallow boreholes in Africa (Ball 2004; Foster,
Tuinhof, and Garduno 2008).
Deeper boreholes, drilled at a larger diameter and equipped with motorized
pumps, cost considerably more. The two deeper boreholes included in the current
survey cost US$12,000 and US$20,000 for depths of 99 m and 174 m, respectively,
before pump installation and taxes. This falls within the cost range reported by the
Carter et al. (2006) for deep boreholes in Ethiopia. This type of borehole is rarely
used for rural water supply in other areas of Africa, so cost comparisons are difficult.
However, Adekile and Olabode (2009) quote similar numbers for deep boreholes
in Nigeria, with costs of US$18,000–$26,000 for boreholes of 100–150 m depth.
The particular hydrogeology of Ethiopia makes deeper boreholes successful:
similar boreholes would fail over much of the continent. In addition, a culture
of deep borehole drilling in Ethiopia, even in circumstances where shallow
boreholes would be successful, means that deep boreholes are often preferred.
Box figure 4.5.1 provides a detailed breakdown of costs based on survey data
collected for the present study.
Drawing on the data for shallow boreholes, it is clear that the easiest way of
saving money is to drill short. However, given that in Ethiopia a supervising hydrogeologist
must, in theory, sign off on every borehole, such a scheme would require
collusion between supervisor and driller. A further option would be to drill a borehole
of narrower diameter than specified, although this would save less money.
However, if the supervisor at does not identify the too-narrow drilling at the time,
it would be difficult to identify later if the correct-diameter screens and casings
were then installed.
In terms of materials, shallow wells are generally equipped with unplasticized
polyvinyl chloride (uPVC) screens and casing (as seen in the cost breakdown in
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