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Drilling Data (2018–2024)

License: CC BY 4.0

This dataset captures detailed information from water point drilling projects conducted between 2018 and 2024. The data was collected from various borehole sites and includes a wide range of attributes covering the full lifecycle of a drilling project — from planning and site setup to borehole development and evaluation.

Key Components

  1. Administrative & Contextual Info: Includes the date of drilling, GPS coordinates, purpose of the water point, funding source, and responsible contractors.

  2. Pre-Drilling Activities: Captures site selection methodologies, availability of government supervisors, community agreements, hydrogeological studies, and geophysical survey results.

  3. Site & Equipment Setup: Details on rig setup, equipment condition, safety features, PPE availability, site accessibility, and distance from potential contamination sources.

  4. Drilling Operations: Documents the type of rig used, compressor specs, drill rod length, drilling method, bit type, borehole diameter, depth intervals, and drilling time.

  5. Hydrogeological Observations: Tracks water strikes, rock/soil formations, grain size, sorting, weathering, and additional geological descriptions.

  6. Borehole Development & Testing: Includes discharge rates, EC, TDS, pH, temperature, turbidity, sediment, and static water levels (pre and post development).

  7. Casing & Installation Details: Information on casing materials, diameters, slot aperture, gravel pack quality, and final borehole design.

  8. Safety & Environmental Checks: Evaluates welfare facilities, fire extinguishers, first aid kits, equipment protection, and chemical storage practices.

  9. Multimedia Links: Some entries include links to images from the drilling sites hosted on the mWater platform.

Example Use Cases:

  • Analyzing factors that affect borehole success rates.

  • Tracking contractor compliance with safety and environmental standards.

  • Evaluating relationships between hydro-geological conditions and borehole performance.

  • Enhancing water resource planning and monitoring in rural development contexts.

Note: This dataset contains blank or missing values in some fields, especially where data collection was not applicable. Users should apply appropriate data cleaning and preprocessing methods before analysis.

Installation

You can install the development version of drillingdata from GitHub with:

# install.packages("devtools")
devtools::install_github("openwashdata/drillingdata")
## Run the following code in console if you don't have the packages
## install.packages(c("dplyr", "knitr", "readr", "stringr", "gt", "kableExtra"))
library(dplyr)
library(knitr)
library(readr)
library(stringr)
library(gt)
library(kableExtra)

Alternatively, you can download the individual datasets as a CSV or XLSX file from the table below.

  1. Click Download CSV. A window opens that displays the CSV in your browser.
  2. Right-click anywhere inside the window and select “Save Page As…”.
  3. Save the file in a folder of your choice.
dataset CSV XLSX
drillingdata Download CSV Download XLSX

Data

The package provides access to the Drilling data survey conducted between 2018 and 2024

library(drillingdata)

drillingdata

The dataset drillingdata has 152 observations and 138 variables

drillingdata |> 
  head(3) |> 
  gt::gt() |>
  gt::as_raw_html()
date_of_drilling water_point_created latitude longtude use_of_waterpoint other_useage funding_source wrb1a_form_completed contract_signed community_agreement gov_supervisor_available drilling_contractor driller_licensed staff_experienced drilling_rig_model compressor_specs equipment_condition safety_features_condition equipment_capability equipment_capability_specs ppe_available drilling_equipment_image location_selection_methodology hydrogeological_study_done geophysical_survey_done min_distance_50m_from_contamination distance_from_contamination location_accessible location_suitable_for_drilling distance_from_water_bodies location_photo perimeter_fence staff_protected parking_area emergency_access suitable_distance_from_power_lines distance materials_stored_safely chemicals_stored_safely first_aid_kit fire_extinguisher adquate_welfare_facilities welfare_facilities_distance site_setup_preliminaries_completed rig_setup_properly reference_point reference_point_height rig_level_method rig_setup_problems setup_problems drill_rod_length min_diameter_177mm min_diameter casing_stored_properly where_stored why_not_properly_stored index_1 rod_number depth_from_1 depth_to_1 circulation_method drill_bit_type drilling_diameter_mm time_taken_in_minutes drilling_comments water_strike_in_miters index_2 depth_from_2 depth_to_2 temp_casing_material temp_casing_diameter index_3 depth_from_3 depth_to_3 rock_or_soil_type colour weathering grain_size_description sorting additional_description formation_name index_4 hole_depth_1 discharge_rate_1 discharge_measurement_method ec_ms_cm_1 tds_mgl_1 ph_1 temp_celcius_1 comments_1 borehole_depth_miters water_level measurement_date borehole_suitable_further_use installation_design_available design_agreed_by_driller date_casing_installation materials_meet_standards materials_pre_inspected Index (8) inner_diameter outer_diameter material_1 slot_aperture end_cap_fitted centralisers_fitted casing_connection_type index_9 depth_from_4 depth_to_4 casing_inner_diameter casing_material casing_material_strength slotted gravel_pack_clean gravel_pack_quality index_10 depth_from_5 depth_to_5 gravel_min_grain_size gravel_max_grain_size gravel_pack_final_level static_water_level_pre_dev index_11 duration method index_12 time lift_depth discharge_rate ec_ms_cm_3 tds_mg_l_2 ph_3 temp_c_2 turbidity_ntu sediment static_water_level_post_dev final_borehole_design_summary
25/09/2018 Yes -14.90580 34.83156 Other Water supply to infrastructure distributing to Balaka region The Scottish Government Yes Yes Yes Alex Makwinja OG Madzi Yes Yes PRD 12 tonne ELGi, PG 1100S - 300 Yes Yes Yes 120m of rods Yes https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/765588b65a24479bbfcc14fde2ffd918; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/fbf50f1e43b04c90b10ae74fc1b2b36b; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/c83f1d6517fa42e1be36192b6670b092; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/b6bc9b43b9f94e7988bb412bdd406996; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/88270b575a16468d9fe271b262cd997c; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/ebaf5f4897594eb8b43d85a900a3b5e2; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/0d31be9d11a84bdaaa793926844115fa The Malawi Government chose potential locations, desk study from UoS Hydrogeologists and Malawi government geophysical surveying identified suitable location and position of drilling site. Yes Yes Yes 56m Yes Yes Yes https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/bd2c21f294214c1f8927456a65200ad4 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 20m Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes NA Yes Yes Drilling/Rotary Table 1.21 Spirit level on rods No NA 5 Yes 355.6mm No NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 53.37 NA NA Yes Yes Yes 9/28/2018 Yes Yes NA NA NA NA NA Yes Yes Solvent Cement NA NA NA NA NA NA NA Yes Yes NA NA NA NA NA 14.5 15.72 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 15.72 NA
07/12/2018 Yes -15.80755 35.27729 Community NA Scottish Government No Yes Yes Susan WMA Chiradzulu Water Office OG Madzi Drilling Company Yes Yes PRD ELGI PG 6005 - 200 Yes Yes Yes NA Yes https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/897ca28c2bda40efa2653b51b4fa6922; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/ba0f3386a2704a1f82d2dd1842c5c082; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/c66bcc72c33d49d3be39363146a24728; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/1c54e24b6a2c443ebf2010634139280f; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/43e2adfbac654f66841f77db92d34329; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/be6b18111db3416584c324c29396f1cb; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/7bf5d9afa0214f1193814db054668c01; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/cf8f6101231543b08b77bd076bf7472f; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/ba74595462274e4ab993bf23b963ec2b; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/ec2e2f1e8de04d009f14a4f755ff9988 Hydrogelogical Desk Study Needs Assessment Pumping tests at nearby boreholes Geophysical Survey Yes Yes Yes NA Yes Yes Yes https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/6f125ad67b124305ada664ecf6bd20d6 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes NA Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes NA Yes Yes Drilling/Rotary Table 1.26 Spirit level on rods No NA 3 Yes NA Yes NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 55.26 NA NA No NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
06/12/2018 Yes -15.78484 35.23571 Community NA Scottish Government No Yes Yes Susan WMA Chiradzulu District Water Office OG Madzi Drilling Company Yes Yes PRD ELGI PG 6005 - 200 Yes Yes Yes NA Yes https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/7462ad48f9da48b5a9e606565affd2e6; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/39d841a4f63a46eab6d50f0b987e77b7; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/266edc03cb5a4008b45cf0fe94a69544; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/850bc036169947d891d48a365b97390c; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/873ca691d45f48f79d77e551a1866bc5; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/3df98fa3eabb4f9b86eacfe9c5edcf40; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/8489d502dbf241468f98076e3125f969; https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/037f158004eb4d5a9dc88fd5a42479fd Hydrogeology Desk Study Needs Assessment Inital forensics at nearby wells Pumping tests at nearby wells Geophysical survey Yes Yes Yes NA No Yes Yes https://api.mwater.co/v3/images/81b39c16b2384c1799095196de24ac6c Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes NA Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes NA Yes Yes Drilling/Rotary Table 1.30 Spirit level on rods No NA 3 Yes NA Yes NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 55.30 NA NA No NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

For an overview of the variable names, see the following table.

variable_name variable_type description
date_of_drilling character The date when drilling was carried out.
water_point_created character Indicates whether the water point has been created
latitude numeric The geographic latitude of the drilling site.
longtude numeric The geographic longitude of the drilling site.
use_of_waterpoint character The intended use of the water point
other_useage character Any additional usage of the water point not covered by the standard categories.
funding_source character The source of funding for the drilling project
wrb1a_form_completed character Indicates whether the WRB1A form for the drilling project has been completed.
contract_signed character Whether a contract has been signed for the drilling project.
community_agreement character Whether an agreement with the community has been made regarding the water point.
gov_supervisor_available character Indicates whether a government supervisor is available during the drilling process.
drilling_contractor character The name of the contractor responsible for the drilling.
driller_licensed character Indicates whether the driller is licensed to carry out the drilling.
staff_experienced character Indicates whether the staff involved in the drilling project are experienced.
drilling_rig_model character The model of the drilling rig used for the project.
compressor_specs character Specifications of the compressor used during the drilling.
equipment_condition character The condition of the drilling equipment
safety_features_condition character The condition of the safety features of the equipment.
equipment_capability character The overall capability of the equipment used in drilling.
equipment_capability_specs character Specifications related to the equipments capabilities.
ppe_available character Indicates whether personal protective equipment (PPE) is available for the workers.
drilling_equipment_image character An image of the drilling equipment used in the project.
location_selection_methodology character The methodology used to select the drilling location.
hydrogeological_study_done character Indicates whether a hydrogeological study has been done at the drilling site.
geophysical_survey_done character Indicates whether a geophysical survey has been done at the site.
min_distance_50m_from_contamination character The minimum distance (in meters) the drilling site is from contamination sources (50 meters or more).
distance_from_contamination character The distance of the drilling site from any contamination sources.
location_accessible character Indicates whether the site is accessible for drilling.
location_suitable_for_drilling character Indicates whether the site is suitable for drilling
distance_from_water_bodies character The distance of the drilling site from nearby water bodies
location_photo character A photograph of the drilling site location.
perimeter_fence character Indicates whether there is a perimeter fence around the site for security.
staff_protected character Indicates whether the staff are protected from potential risks
parking_area character Indicates whether a parking area is available for vehicles at the site.
emergency_access character Indicates whether there is easy emergency access to the site.
suitable_distance_from_power_lines character Indicates whether the site is located at a suitable distance from power lines.
distance character The distance from a reference point or key feature to the drilling site.
materials_stored_safely character Indicates whether the materials are stored safely at the site.
chemicals_stored_safely character Indicates whether chemicals are stored safely on-site.
first_aid_kit character Indicates whether a first aid kit is available at the site.
fire_extinguisher character Indicates whether a fire extinguisher is available at the site.
adquate_welfare_facilities character Indicates whether the welfare facilities are adequate for the workers.
welfare_facilities_distance character The distance of the welfare facilitiesfrom the drilling site.
site_setup_preliminaries_completed character Indicates whether the preliminary setup activities for drilling have been completed.
rig_setup_properly character Indicates whether the drilling rig has been set up properly.
reference_point character A reference point used for the drilling sites coordinates or location.
reference_point_height numeric The height of the reference point above or below sea level.
rig_level_method character The method used to level the drilling rig at the site.
rig_setup_problems character Any issues encountered during the setup of the drilling rig.
setup_problems logical Boolean indicating whether any setup problems were encountered.
drill_rod_length numeric The length of the drill rods used in the drilling operation.
min_diameter_177mm character The minimum diameter of the borehole (177mm).
min_diameter character The minimum diameter of the borehole for drilling.
casing_stored_properly character Indicates whether the casing materials are stored properly.
where_stored character The location where the casing materials are stored.
why_not_properly_stored logical Indicates why the casing materials were not stored properly.
index_1 numeric An index value for referencing in the dataset.
rod_number numeric The number of rods used during the drilling process.
depth_from_1 numeric The starting depth (in meters) for the first drilling operation.
depth_to_1 numeric The ending depth (in meters) for the first drilling operation.
circulation_method character The method used for circulating fluids during drilling.
drill_bit_type character The type of drill bit used during drilling.
drilling_diameter_mm numeric The diameter of the borehole in millimeters.
time_taken_in_minutes numeric The total time taken for drilling (in minutes).
drilling_comments character Comments related to the drilling process.
water_strike_in_miters numeric The depth at which water was first encountered during drilling (in meters).
index_2 numeric An index value for referencing in the dataset.
depth_from_2 numeric The starting depth (in meters) for the second drilling operation.
depth_to_2 numeric The ending depth (in meters) for the second drilling operation.
temp_casing_material character The material used for the temporary casing in the borehole.
temp_casing_diameter numeric The diameter of the temporary casing (in millimeters).
index_3 numeric An index value for referencing in the dataset.
depth_from_3 numeric The starting depth (in meters) for the third drilling operation.
depth_to_3 numeric The ending depth (in meters) for the third drilling operation.
rock_or_soil_type character The type of rock or soil encountered at the drilling site.
colour character The color of the rock or soil encountered during drilling.
weathering character The level of weathering observed in the rock or soil encountered.
grain_size_description character A description of the grain size of the soil or rock.
sorting character The sorting characteristics of the soil or rock (e.g. well-sorted, poorly sorted).
additional_description character Any additional description related to the geological formation or drilling process.
formation_name character The name of the geological formation encountered during drilling.
index_4 numeric An index value for referencing in the dataset.
hole_depth_1 numeric The depth of the hole for the first section of drilling (in meters).
discharge_rate_1 numeric The discharge rate of water from the borehole (in liters per minute or other units).
discharge_measurement_method character The method used to measure the discharge rate of the borehole.
ec_ms_cm_1 numeric The electrical conductivity of the water at the first measurement point (in mS/cm).
tds_mgl_1 numeric The total dissolved solids (TDS) in the water at the first measurement point (in mg/L).
ph_1 numeric The pH of the water at the first measurement point.
temp_celcius_1 numeric The temperature of the water at the first measurement point (in Celcius).
comments_1 character Comments related to the first measurement point (e.g. water quality, observations).
borehole_depth_miters numeric The total depth of the borehole (in meters).
water_level numeric The water level in the borehole after drilling (in meters).
measurement_date character The date when measurements were taken for water level, discharge, etc.
borehole_suitable_further_use character Whether the borehole is suitable for further use (e.g. for a pump, additional development).
installation_design_available character Whether a design is available for installing equipment in the borehole.
design_agreed_by_driller character Whether the design was agreed upon by the driller.
date_casing_installation character The date when the casing was installed in the borehole.
materials_meet_standards character Whether the materials used in the drilling process meet established standards.
materials_pre_inspected character Whether the materials used in the drilling process were pre-inspected.
Index (8) numeric An index value for referencing in the dataset.
inner_diameter numeric The inner diameter of the casing (in millimeters).
outer_diameter numeric The outer diameter of the casing (in millimeters).
material_1 character The material used for the first section of the casing.
slot_aperture numeric The size of the slot aperture in the casing (in millimeters).
end_cap_fitted character Whether an end cap was fitted to the casing.
centralisers_fitted character Whether centralizers were fitted in the borehole casing.
casing_connection_type character The type of connection used for the casing segments (e.g., threaded, welded).
index_9 numeric An index value for referencing in the dataset.
depth_from_4 numeric The starting depth (in meters) for the fourth drilling operation.
depth_to_4 numeric The ending depth (in meters) for the fourth drilling operation.
casing_inner_diameter numeric The inner diameter of the casing (in millimeters).
casing_material character The material of the casing used for the borehole.
casing_material_strength character The strength of the casing material used in the borehole.
slotted character Indicates whether the casing is slotted for water entry.
gravel_pack_clean character Indicates whether the gravel pack is clean and free of contaminants.
gravel_pack_quality character The quality of the gravel pack used in the borehole.
index_10 numeric An index value for referencing in the dataset.
depth_from_5 numeric The starting depth (in meters) for the fifth drilling operation.
depth_to_5 numeric The ending depth (in meters) for the fifth drilling operation.
gravel_min_grain_size numeric The minimum grain size of the gravel used in the pack (in millimeters).
gravel_max_grain_size numeric The maximum grain size of the gravel used in the pack (in millimeters).
gravel_pack_final_level numeric The final level of the gravel pack after installation (in meters).
static_water_level_pre_dev numeric The static water level before development work begins (in meters).
index_11 numeric An index value for referencing in the dataset.
duration numeric The total duration of the drilling process (in hours or days).
method character The method used for the drilling process (e.g. rotary, percussion).
index_12 numeric An index value for referencing in the dataset.
time numeric The amount of time taken for specific drilling operations (in minutes).
lift_depth numeric The depth at which the lift occurs during the drilling operation (in meters).
discharge_rate numeric The discharge rate of water from the borehole at a later measurement point (in liters per minute).
ec_ms_cm_3 numeric The electrical conductivity of the water at a later measurement point (in mS/cm).
tds_mg_l_2 numeric The total dissolved solids (TDS) in the water at a later measurement point (in mg/L).
ph_3 numeric The pH of the water at a later measurement point.
temp_c_2 numeric The temperature of the water at a later measurement point (in Celcius).
turbidity_ntu numeric The turbidity of the water (cloudiness) measured in NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Units).
sediment character The amount or type of sediment in the water at a later measurement point.
static_water_level_post_dev numeric The static water level after development work is done (in meters).
final_borehole_design_summary character A summary of the final borehole design, including all technical and engineering details.

Example

library(drillingdata)

# Example code to display a bar graph for the boreholes drilled per year
library(ggplot2)
library(lubridate)
library(dplyr)

# Convert 'date_of_drilling' to Date format and extract the year
drillingdata$year <- year(mdy(drillingdata$date_of_drilling))

# Count number of boreholes drilled per year
boreholes_per_year <- drillingdata %>%
  filter(!is.na(year)) %>%
  group_by(year) %>%
  summarise(boreholes_drilled = n())

# Create the bar plot
ggplot(boreholes_per_year, aes(x = factor(year), y = boreholes_drilled)) +
  geom_col(fill = "red") +
  theme_minimal() +
  labs(
    title = "Boreholes Drilled Per Year",
    x = "Year",
    y = "Number of Boreholes Drilled"
  )

License

Data are available as CC-BY.

Citation

Please cite this package using:

citation("drillingdata")
#> To cite package 'drillingdata' in publications use:
#> 
#>   Mhango E, Rattray J, MacLeod S, Nyasulu G, Chisunkha T, Musopole G,
#>   Hamis A, Bwanyula F (2025). _drillingdata: What the Package Does (One
#>   Line, Title Case)_. R package version 0.0.0.9000,
#>   <https://github.com/openwashdata/drillingdata>.
#> 
#> A BibTeX entry for LaTeX users is
#> 
#>   @Manual{,
#>     title = {drillingdata: What the Package Does (One Line, Title Case)},
#>     author = {Emmanuel Mhango and Jamie Rattray and Shaun MacLeod and Given Nyasulu and Temwani Chisunkha and Gloria Musopole and Agnes Hamis and Feston Bwanyula},
#>     year = {2025},
#>     note = {R package version 0.0.0.9000},
#>     url = {https://github.com/openwashdata/drillingdata},
#>   }

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