The preparation and drilling were a big event. Not only as a concrete start of the project, but also by the question whether we will find enough water at all to supply the property and its buildings. And finally, it was still a question of where we would find the most water, because that was where the supply building would then be located, from which the distribution would start.

Two teams of hydrologists measured through the site, and both came to the same conclusion: the most promising drilling site was exactly where we had intuitively wanted it to be. From the amount of water to be expected, one team leader was skeptical, the other advised us to go for it. We took a chance and hired the team of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development from Lilongwe.

43 meters were drilled deep, partly through hard rock that you can’t imagine it going any further. Each drill rod length a soil sample is collected, which is evaluated by Brian, the team leader. Then the suggestion not to drill deeper and for us the big question: will we get enough water?

Then a week later another team comes in for the pump test. They set the pump at 37 meters, as recommended by the hydrological report. Then a 12-hour test runs, and a few days later we receive the detailed test report: the spring delivers 0.3 liters/second, which is still about 1,000 liters per hour, enough for our needs. We all have a load off our minds, because the well was quite expensive. We thank the German Embassy in Lilongwe for supporting the first step of the project!