Borehole Drilling and Construction Data – Malawi, 2018 - 2024

This dataset captures detailed information on borehole drilling and construction activities conducted across selected sites in Malawi between 2018 and 2024. Data were collected using the mWater digital platform, documenting each stage of groundwater development, from site selection and hydrogeological studies to drilling operations, borehole design, and post-construction assessments.

The dataset includes variables on location and site suitability, survey and geophysical methods, drilling parameters, equipment and safety compliance, geological formations encountered, casing and gravel pack details, and initial water quality measurements. Together, these data provide a comprehensive technical record of Malawi’s borehole development process.

Potential Use Cases

This dataset is valuable to a wide range of stakeholders, including:

1. Government Water Departments and District Councils: for monitoring drilling quality, verifying contractor performance, and maintaining an updated inventory of functional water points.

2. Development Partners and NGOs: for planning new water supply interventions, assessing borehole performance, and improving accountability in donor-funded projects.

3. Hydrogeologists and WASH Engineers: for analyzing aquifer characteristics, drilling efficiency, and the relationship between geology and borehole productivity.

4. Researchers and Academic Institutions: for studying groundwater development practices, environmental sustainability, and data-driven approaches to rural water supply.

5. Policy Makers and Regulators: for strengthening national standards, promoting data transparency, and improving decision-making in the water resources sector.

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 variables on location and site suitability, survey and geophysical methods, drilling parameters, equipment and safety compliance, geological formations encountered, casing and gravel pack details, and initial water quality measurements

library(drillingdata)

drillingdata

The dataset drillingdata contains data 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)

# Histogram of Borehole Depths
# Load required packages
library(ggplot2)
library(dplyr)

# prepare data
boreholes_clean <- drillingdata %>%
  mutate(depth_m = as.numeric(borehole_depth_miters)) %>%
  filter(!is.na(depth_m))  # remove missing values

# Plot graph
ggplot(boreholes_clean, aes(x = depth_m)) +
  geom_histogram(binwidth = 10, fill = "skyblue", color = "black", alpha = 0.8) +
  labs(
    title = "Distribution of Borehole Depths",
    subtitle = "Number of boreholes in different depth ranges",
    x = "Borehole Depth (meters)",
    y = "Number of Boreholes"
  ) +
  theme_minimal(base_size = 14)

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, Bwanyula F (2025). _drillingdata:
#>   Borehole Drilling and Construction Data – Malawi, 2018 - 2024_. R
#>   package version 0.0.0.9000,
#>   <https://github.com/openwashdata/drillingdata>.
#> 
#> A BibTeX entry for LaTeX users is
#> 
#>   @Manual{,
#>     title = {drillingdata: Borehole Drilling and Construction Data – Malawi, 2018 - 2024},
#>     author = {Emmanuel Mhango and Jamie Rattray and Shaun MacLeod and Feston Bwanyula},
#>     year = {2025},
#>     note = {R package version 0.0.0.9000},
#>     url = {https://github.com/openwashdata/drillingdata},
#>   }