PUC’s groundwater exploration project Boreholes to be drilled next year |16 December 2016

Drilling of 10 investigation boreholes will take place mid February next year as part of a groundwater exploration project.

Currently in its first phase, the groundwater exploration project is being led by the Public Utilities Corporation (PUC), in collaboration with the Water Harvesting Company and the Swedish Geological Survey Unit (SGU).

The two companies have extensive expertise and experience in hydrogeology and have been using advanced geophysics to investigate groundwater potential in the Scandinavia. 

This project follows a visit by the Minister for Environment, Energy and Climate Change Didier Dogley to Sweden last year during which he sought help of the government of Sweden to help Seychelles with groundwater exploration.

Demand for water is continually increasing as a result of rapid growth in all sectors of the economy.  As a small island state, Seychelles is particularly vulnerable to the risks of drought associated with climate change. It is anticipated that the serious drought which has been experienced this year will persist and may even worsen in the next few years.

Groundwater, if discovered in economic quantities, is a strategic resource that can increase the current capacity and yield of potable water and contribute towards mitigating the risks of drought. 

Six sites on Mahé, two on Praslin and two on La Digue have been selected for investigative drilling following preliminary study and geophysical tests done by the two companies to establish whether groundwater can be extracted in a sustainable manner.

The 10 sites have been chosen out of almost 100 sites tested across the islands.

The equipment for drilling is being shipped from Sweden and will reach Seychelles by mid-January 2017 for the second phase of exploratory boreholes.

Chairman of the Water Harvesting Company Johan von Garrelts said they have been following our situation since 1998 and they have come to the conclusion that exploring the groundwater possibilities could be a solution to our water shortages.

“The next step is to confirm the quality of those sites which will be done by full size drilling at those sites and that will take place from mid February to the end of March roughly. We will be conducting test pumping and test installations to verify that there is volume and quality available,” he said.

Minister Dogley said possibly by the half of next year we might see boreholes in certain places on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue where PUC will be tapping water from.

“After the trials are completed by March next year and it’s determined that there is enough water in the boreholes and the quality is good, then the next step is for the government to decide whether we start draining and pumping the water from that point on,” he said.

He said the exploitation of groundwater forms part of the strategy to diversify water sources and recycling of used water for non-drinking purposes is also under consideration.

The minister also reassured that it is top priority for PUC to provide the highest quality of water for those who are afraid the quality will be poor.

PUC deputy chief executive Joel Valmont said “from the preliminary feedbacks it looks like there is opportunity in some sites, so we are optimistic but we have to wait for the yield to be determined after being extracted from these sites that seem promising”.

Also present during the meeting was SGU geophysicist Mats Thörnelöf and other officers from PUC and the environment department.