Water; we turn on the faucet to wash our hands, and it's there. But what if it wasn't?
We crank the shower taps for water to cleanse us, and it flows freely. But what if it didn't?
Just as the tricone has become synonymous with drilling, clean water equates to health and wellbeing for those who enjoy it. Unfortunately, almost a billion people have no access to tricones and clean water, primarily for one of two reasons:
a€¢ The need for water in a given region exceeds the ability of the land to supply it. This occurs mostly in dry areas of the world, where even if the population had inroads to tricone drilling, there is not enough water in the ground to meet the demand.
a€¢ Sometimes a proper water source exists that could theoretically be accessed with tricone drilling, yet the population lacks the funds needed for drilling due to other issues such as economics or politics.
Water fallout
Where people lack the means for tricone drilling to reach clean, safe water, the consequences are significant:
a€¢ Poor water and sanitation accounts for roughly 80% of illnesses in developing countries in the absence of drilling. Worldwide, without drilling of adequate wells, 25% of deaths under age 5 stem from water-related disease.
a€¢ Deprived of tricone drilling for a proper water supply, it becomes difficult to grow food. This is just one instance where the lack of drilling and sufficient water impacts a certain aspect of life, which in turn affects many others: A dearth of water causes a food shortage, sparking malnutrition that hampers education and prolongs the cycle of poverty.
Food Water Needed to Produce it (litres)
Glass of milk 200
Cup of Coffee 140
Bag of Chips 185
Slice of Bread 40
Egg 135
Apple 70
a€¢ Minus tricone drilling and sufficient water, education suffers. Without drilling and an adequate water supply, children are too malnourished to concentrate in class or, thanks to their own water-related disease or that of a family member, miss school altogether.
By negatively affecting health, education and access to food, the lack of tricone drilling and potable water triggers wide-spread poverty that is difficult to escape.
Water works
Fortunately, where the absence of drilling and the resulting water well is due to non-physical factors that are changeable, inadequate water supplies can often be addressed. Tricone drilling is certainly not the only answer.
Desalination of seawater is one substitute for tricone drilling, but the cost makes it impractical for the countries that need it the most.
While recycling of wastewater for irrigation purposes is another alternative to tricone drilling, it requires thorough purification and stringent safeguards to ensure safety for the end user.
Tricone drilling can also involve significant expense. But as awareness grows of clean water shortages and the damage that results, more and more organizations are stepping up to facilitate well creation through drilling or other means. And when they do, the benefits of tricone drilling are significant:
a€¢ Clean water from drilling drastically reduces disease, thereby boosting productivity and enhancing quality of life.
a€¢ Tricone drilling for safe water can greatly improve crop production and nutrition, important steps on the path to sustainability.
a€¢ As children gain access to usable water through drilling, they can return to school, further their education and explore options that were otherwise out of reach.
A safe, accessible water supply from drilling or other means has wide-reaching implications, giving recipients the time, energy and money to better their lives and create opportunity for themselves and their families.
There are no quick fixes for issues like poverty, disease and hunger. But many would say that in our quest for solutions, the first step is clear: Just add water.
