The PAT Drill 401T rig (pictured above) continues to serve us well. It is also still in good shape. However, it is not able to easily drill through the granite rock of the many remote communities which are coming to TASTE for help to gain access to safe drinking water.
We need a bigger rig to take on this challenge.
The bigger rig will enable us to carry out all our work without the need to hire.
The case for a bigger rig is compelling:
- The fact that it is all in one a vehicle with all the needed equipment mounted on it will ease transportation and movement.
- There will no longer be the need to tow our existing rig and the compressor separately to and from site.
- It will save us time, reduce project costs, as well as the time our staff spend in remote communities. This will also mean they are less likely to get caught up in the attacks on these remote communities by militants.
- In certain cases it may be possible to drill 2 – 3 boreholes in one day which would get water more quickly to communities.
- It removes reliance on hire companies who often dictate the timing of projects and often use the remoteness of the villages and the poor access road to inflate their fees.
- The big rig will go a long way to enable TASTE provide services to more communities than the number we are able to do. Partnership with communities who do not have enough funds is possible as they can provide funds for consumables alone and TASTE can provide the services. Depending on the number of communities that are able to get the consumable,we can provide services to addition 15 – 20 communities every year.
- Between November 2017 and March 2018, we have had to turn down 9 funded projects in remote communities because our rig could not drill to the required depth through granite rock.
- A bigger rig will give us the scope to extend our operations to many more states across Nigeria. The total cost for a new rig will be £100,000.
The Drilling Rig:
