Andaman Water Project

Emmanuel Hospital Association

eha-health.org

Bore Well Survey Report

July 2008 - February 2009

by
Anand Kumar

Dan Shetler &

Abraham Dennyson K
 Table of Contents
Acknowledgement--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1
Background----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3
Objectives------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4
Methodology---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5
Discussions------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7
1. Mean Sea Level (MSL) Vs Water Table------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7
2. Surface Elevation Vs Water Table-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10
3. Dry Well Vs Depth-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12
4. Coastline Vs Water Table------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 13
5. Soil Profile & Bore Well------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15
6. 2004 Tsunami & Water Table------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17
Conclusion------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18
Annexure
I. Survey Form------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19
II. Soil Profiles of Wells Done by EHA-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20
a. Bore Wells--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21
b. Open Dug Wells--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22
III Soil Profiles of Wells – Data Collected------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 24
a. Dry wells----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25
b. Anarkali & Kodyaghat------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26
c. Haddo--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27
d. Aberdeen Bazar---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28
e. Brookshabad & Beodnabad-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29
f. Delanipur----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30
g. Kamaraj Nagar------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 31
h. Lilipur-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 32
i. Minnie Bay-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 32
j. Pongyjang---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 34
k. Sanjeevan Colony & Sippighat -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 35
l. Wandoor ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36
m. Mayabunder------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 37
n. Diglipur------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 38
o.

Andaman Water Project

 Acknowledgement

Andaman Water Project was first to undertake Bore Well survey in South, Middle and North Andaman. We are
thankful to Mr. Jamal of Guru Bore wells for providing information on Bore Wells in different parts of the Islands. He
was willing to travel with our research team to the bore well sites and provide the needed information. We thank Mr.
Peter Shetler from US for helping us procure and put to use the ArcGIS Software which was used in the research
analysis in the study. We thank Mr. Daniel Shetler who was coordinating the data collection and analysis along with
Mr. Anand Kumar. It is because of their hard work it has been possible to undertake such a work in a very short
duration. We also want to thank the bore well users who came forward to share the information with us. Last but not
the least we thank the Staff Team and Volunteers for their cooperation without which this research would have been
impossible.

Mr. Dennyson Abraham

Project Manager.

Andaman Water Project 1

Andaman Water Project 2
 Background
In June 2007 when Andaman Water Project was setup there was no data or research document it could get hold of
with regards to groundwater status. There were range of confusing information going around from ‘no bore well
existed’ to ‘no bore wells allowed’ in the Island. Some of the reasons attributed to were the tectonic activities and
government land regulation in Andaman. Central Ground Water Board also did not have data of ground water
resources of Andaman in its website.

It was with this background Andaman Water Project decided to map and study the bore well that existed in the Island.
The data from this study will be published and made available for general public and government officials so that they
are little better equipped when dealing with groundwater status in their area. Drilling bore wells in the Andaman
Islands is problematic for a number of reasons and many attempted borewells fail. The hope is that this research will
help alleviate some of these problems.

Andaman Water Project 3

 Objectives
In 2008 the Andaman Water Project of Emmanuel Hospital Association initiated a study on the existing bore wells.
This effort was to answer some important questions concerning the groundwater of the Andaman Islands. In order to
accomplish this, an extensive survey of the bore wells was conducted. Through the survey information like bore well
depth, groundwater table, soil profile, quality and approximate discharge of water along with construction and owner
details were collected. Bore wells that were unsuccessful, dry or brackish water were also included in the survey.

A Geographic Information System (GIS) was used in the analysis of the data. A GIS is a very powerful tool for
visualization and analysis in resource management. In a GIS, layers of information are used to create a digital map.
These data can include satellite imagery, elevation data, databases, roads, rivers, buildings, city, populations, etc
anything that has a geographic reference. The more information that is added to a GIS the more useful it becomes.
This borewell data alone on a GIS might be elemental but in combination with other layers of data GIS full potential
can be reached. Andaman Water Project will make available this GIS data, satellite imagery, and maps created other
organizations working with GIS on the Andaman Islands on request. Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI)
that is also putting together a GIS with watershed, land use, and population data under the direction of Dr. S. K.
Ambast, Head Natural Resource Management. In corporation of these two data will result in a powerful tool than any
on their own.

Andaman Water Project 4

 Methodology

There are only two borewell drilling companies in the Island. Help was sought from both these companies to locate
and get data of the bore wells that existed or done by them. Mr. Jamal, Managing Partner & Technician of Guru Bore
wells came forward to help with the survey. The project team along with him visited different bore well sites met the
land owner and collected the needed information regarding the bore well.

A Garmin GPS was used to obtain the coordinates and thus locate the bore well on the earth coordinate. The survey
data was then maintained on a spreadsheet for analysis.

The software ArcGIS® was used to combine the survey data with the GPS locations. SRTM1 data was used to find the
altitudes of the borewells and thus the absolute depths of the bore wells, groundwater tables and soil layers. ArcGIS
was also used to find the distance of the wells from the ocean. Google Earth was used to visualize the borewell
distribution and the data was then analysed using ArcGIS and Excel. The datasheet Performa of the survey form is
attached for reference (annexure 1)

1
SRTM is elevation data gathered by radar from the Space Shuttle or satellites.

Andaman Water Project 5

Andaman Water Project 6
 Discussions

Mean Sea Level (MSL) Vs Water Table

The elevation of surface and groundwater table has a strong correlation between them [Graph 1]. The groundwater
table roughly follows the surface of the earth at about 36 feet below the surface.

Among the 182 freshwater bore wells, with respect to Groundwater Table (See Graph 1)

1. 10% of the instances groundwater table is found below MSL, rest 89% of times groundwater table
was found above MSL

2. Only 1% of the instance groundwater table was found 50 feet below MSL.

With respect to Yield or depleting aquifers (see Graph 2):

3. An alarming 64% of cases groundwater was extracted from below MSL

4. 10% bore wells deliver water from aquifers below 100 feet MSL

5. 35% bore wells deliver water from aquifers below 50 feet MSL.

Andaman Water Project 7

 Elevations of Freshwater Borewells [Graph 1]

300
Surface Elevation
Water Table
Well Depth
200
Mean Sea Level
Dry Bore Well
Dry Bore Well Depth
100
Water Table Trendline
Elevation (ft MSL)

-100

-200

-300
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 210 220

Wells

Andaman Water Project 8

 Extraction Below MSL (Graph 2)

250

Surface Elevation Well Bottom

150

50
MSL (Feet)

0 50 100 150 200

-50

-150

-250
Wells

Andaman Water Project 9

Surface Elevation vs. Water Table
Groundwater Table Bore wells % of Freshwater Overall %
(feet) (Numbers) Wells (182 Nos) (219 Nos)
Less than 40’ 120 66% 55%
Less than 60’ 162 89% 74%
Less than 100’ 180 99% 82%
More than 100’ 2 1% 1%
Dry Bore Wells 37 - 17%
Studying the groundwater table with respect to the surface elevation reveals an interesting trend [Graph 3].

1. The groundwater table being reached most often at 35’ below the surface.

2. At a depth of less than 40 feet, which is the depth that ‘hand driven bores’ are capable of
there is fairly good chances of reaching water table (55%).

3. Only 1% instance table was found past 100 feet beneath the surface.

Andaman Water Project 10

 Water Table (5' intervals) [Graph 3]
30

26 26
25
25

20
17
N u m b er o f W ells

15 14

12
11
10
10
8 8
7

5
3 3
2 2 2
1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0
10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90
0

1 00

1 10

1 20

1 30

1 40

1 50

1 60

1 70

1 80

1 90

2 00

2 10

2 20

2 30
-5
Water Table Depth (ft Below Surface)

Andaman Water Project 11

Dry Well Vs Depth
1. 76% of the dry wells have been drilled past the MSL, 13% of the overall wells (Graph 3).

2. 78% of the dry wells are within 1000m of the coastline (see graph 5)

Dry Well Elevation & Depth (Graph 4)

300

200
Surface Elevation
Dry Well bottom

100
Feet above sea level

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

-100

-200

-300
Wells

Andaman Water Project 12

Coastline Vs Water Table
The correlation between the distance from coastline and groundwater table [Graph 5], shows that proximity to the
ocean cannot be used as an indicator for groundwater table. However majority of the yielding wells are within 1000m
of the coastline. Not many bore wells were found within 100-meters of the coastline. It should also be noted that no
bore wells in this dataset were found to produce saline water, so a correlation between the proximity to the coast and
striking a saline aquifer could not be made. From Graph 5 it can be seen that most of the bore wells surveyed were
within 2 km of the coast. This is because urban population in Andaman live near the coast. Also at the widest point
the Andaman are only about 30 km across so one cannot get more then 15 km from the coast.

1. 62% of the total bore well are within 1000m (1Km) of the coastline.

2. 78% of the dry bore wells (13% overall) lie within 1000 of the coastline

Andaman Water Project 13

 Freshwater Table Vs. Coastline [Graph 5]
300

Water Table
200
Mean Sea Level
Dry Well Bottom

100
F eet M S L

-100

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000

-200

-300
Distance from Ocean (m)

Andaman Water Project 14

Soil Profile & Bore wells
The data that is available indicates the tops soil surface runs up to an average depth of 20 feet (see graph 6). Top soil
is mostly light yellow colour and it is good mixture of clay, silt and sand. The subsurface is mostly marine sedimentary
deposit which grey or black in colour. The compressed sedimentary deposit in many cases forms aquiclude or
aquitards which retards the seepage of water beneath.

1. 90% of dry wells have such soil formation; compressed sedimentary deposits resulting in soft
0r hard slate

2. Rocky sub soil formation tend to be more successful bore wells in comparisonf

The project experience has been that the bore wells drilled in North and Middle Andaman has not been very successful
in comparison to bore wells in South Andaman. Soil profile of the bore wells and the open dug wells done by the
project has been attached for reference.

Andaman Water Project 15

 Soil Profile (Graph 6)

300

200

100
Elevation (MSL)

0
1 13 25 37 49 61 73 85 97 109 121 133 145 157 169 181 193 205 217

-100

-200

-300

Surface Elevation Well Bottom Top Soil Subsoil

Andaman Water Project 16

2004 Tsunami & Water Table
One of the objectives of this survey was to find any changes in the groundwater table after the tsunami. No borewells
in the survey were reported to produce saline water or the amount of water produced changing after the 2004
earthquake and tsunami.

However there is difference in the average depth of the groundwater table found in borewells constructed before and
after the earthquake. The average depth of the groundwater table found in borewells constructed before December
2004 was found to be 49 feet after December 2004 the average depth was only 33 feet.

This finding corresponds to other research2 that indicates that the 2004 earthquake thrust the northern islands up and
caused the southern islands to sink. Since most of the borewells in this survey are located on the southern islands this
change in the average groundwater table elevation may indicate that the absolute water level stayed the same as the
ground sank around it causing the observed difference.

2
Tony Lowry “USU Geophysicist says Fault Movement Continues Since 2004 Tsunami” <http://www.usu.edu/ust/index.cfm?article=20502> (accessed Feb 18,
2009).

Andaman Water Project 17

 Conclusion

There are approximately 2000 borewells on the islands. Only 10% or 220 borewells were covered in this survey. If
more borewells are added to the survey the reliability of the data will increase and thus be more useful. Also adding
these data to other data sets will increase the functionality as a water resource management tool.

The bore well survey also focused on the South Andaman area. This is partially due to the greater number of
borewells drilled in this urban area. Bore wells are clumped in populated pockets and thus evenly spread data will not
be available. However it is assumed that there will be lot of similarity between these Islands and the result and
findings of South Andaman Islands can also be applied to other Islands.

Given the fragile eco system and high tectonic activity in Andaman it is absolutely imperative to do a detailed study of
the groundwater status and also regulate groundwater extraction. This survey is only the beginning and much more
work needs to be done and this work has the seed for such a detailed study in the future.

- Jai Hind

Andaman Water Project 18

Andaman Water Project 19
 Soil Profile of Wells done by EHA
Between 2007 - 2008

Annexure
Bore Wells
South Andaman Middle Andaman North Andaman
Feet Carbyn's Quary Carbyn's Quary 2 Attam Pahad McCarty Valley Kattakhari Rochlachang Pailoon Nallah Bhadur Tikrey Bhadur Tikrey 2 Lalit Katai
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
105
110
115
120
125
Fresh * Fresh * Fresh * Fresh # Fresh # Saline # No Water # Saline # Dry * Saline #

* Machine Bore
# Hand Driven Bore (all ended with hard formation)

Legends
Silty Clay/ Loamy soil c
Black Sedimentary Clay
Soft Slate
Hard Slate
Soft Rock
Hard Rock
Sand
Bouldres/ Splinters

Andaman Water Project 21

Open Dug Wells

North Andaman
Narayan
Srinagar Parangara Navin nagar Ramnagar Keralapuram Milangram Swarajgram
Depth (Feet) Tikery

10

15

20

25

30

35

Middle Andaman
3 no. slope Foester Kaushilaya TV Center, Laukui
Bakuntala Rangat Bay Yerrata Deep Nagar Hari Nagar
Depth (Feet) Kadamtala valley Nagar Rangat Nallah

10

15

20

25

30

35

Legends
Silty Clay/ Loamy soil c
Black Sedimentary Clay
Soft Slate
Hard Slate
Soft Rock
Hard Rock
Sand
Bouldres/ Splinters

Andaman Water Project 22

 Mayabunder Island
Fisher Man
Feet
Lucknow Lataw Rampur
Colony

5
Legends
10 Silty Clay/ Loamy soil c
Black Sedimentary Clay
15 Soft Slate
Hard Slate
20 Soft Rock
Hard Rock
25
Sand
Bouldres/ Splinters
30

Baratang Island
Bamboo Bamboo Krishna
Feet
Roclachang Flat Bay
nallah1 Nallah 2 Nagar

10

15

20

25

30

35

South Andaman Island

Feet
Nayagaon Bada Balu Bada Balu 2 Brokshabad Attam Phard

10

15

20

25

Andaman Water Project 23

 Soil Profile of Wells - Data Collected

Andaman Water Project 24

Dry Wells

Legends
Silty Clay/ Loamy soil c
Black Sedimentary Clay
Soft Slate
Hard Slate
Soft Rock
Hard Rock
Sand
Bouldres/ Splinters

Andaman Water Project 25

Anarkali & Kodyaghat Dry
Dry Dry Dry MSLft Kadyaghat
MSL ft Anarkali 125
180 120
175 115
170 110
165 105
160 100
155 95
150 90
145 85
140 80
135 75
130 70
65
125
60
120
55
115
50
110
45
105 40
100 35
95 30
90 25
85 20
80 15
75 10
70 5
65 0
60 -5
55 -10
50 -15
45 -20
40 -25
35 -30
30 -35
25 -40
-45
20
-50
15
-55
10
-60
5
-65
0 -70
-5 -75
-10 -80
-15 -85
-20 -90
-25 -95
-30 -100
-35 -105
-40 -110
-45
Legends -115
-50 Silty Clay/ Loamy soil c -120
-55 Black Sedimentary Clay -125
-60 Soft Slate -130
-65 Hard Slate -135
-70 -140
Soft Rock
-75 -145
Hard Rock -150
-80
Sand -155
-85
Bouldres/ Splinters -160
-165
-170

Andaman Water Project 26

Haddo
Dry Dry Dry Dry
MSL ft Haddo
220
215
210
205
200
195
190
185
180
175
170
165
160
155
150
145
140
135
130
125
120
115
110
105
100 NA
95 NA
90 NA
85 NA
80 NA
75 NA
70 NA
65 NA
60 NA
55 NA
50 NA
45 NA
40 NA
35 NA
30 NA
25 NA
20 NA
15 NA
10 NA
5 NA
0 NA
-5 NA
-10
-15
-20
-25
-30
-35
-40
-45
-50
-55
-60
-65
-70
-75
-80
-85
-90
-95
-100
-105
Legends
-110 Silty Clay/ Loamy soil c
-115
-120 Black Sedimentary Clay
-125
-130 Soft Slate
-135
Hard Slate
Soft Rock
Hard Rock
Sand
Bouldres/ Splinters

Andaman Water Project 27

Aberdeen Bazar
Dry Dry Dry Dry
MSL ft Aberdeen Bazar
110
105
100
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5
-10
-15
-20
-25
-30
-35
-40
-45
-50
-55
-60
-65
-70
-75
-80
-85
-90
-95
-100
-105
-110
-115
-120
-125
-130
-135
-140
-145
-150
-155
-160
-165
-170
-175
-180
-185
-190
-195
Legends
-200 Silty Clay/ Loamy soil c
-205
Black Sedimentary Clay
Soft Slate
Hard Slate
Soft Rock
Hard Rock
Sand
Bouldres/ Splinters

Andaman Water Project 28

Brookshabad & Beodnabad
Dry Dry
MSL ft Burshabad MSL ft Beodnabad
240
80
235
230 75
225 70
220 65
215 60
210
205
55
200 50
195 45
190 40
185 35
180
175
30
170 25
165 20
160 15
155 10
150
145
5
140 0
135 -5
130 -10
125 -15
120
115
-20
110 -25
105 -30
100 -35
95 -40
90
85
-45
80 -50
75 -55
70 -60
65 -65
60
55 -70
50 -75
45 -80
40 -85
35
-90
30
25 -95
20 -100
15 -105
10
5
0 Legends
-5 Silty Clay/ Loamy soil c
-10
Black Sedimentary Clay
-15
-20 Soft Slate
-25 Hard Slate
-30 Soft Rock
-35 Hard Rock
-40
Sand
-45
-50 Bouldres/ Splinters
-55
-60

Andaman Water Project 29

Delanipur
Dry Dry Dry Dry
MSL ft Delanipur
230
225
220
215
210
205
200
195
190
185 NA
180 NA
175 NA
170 NA
165
160
155
150
145
140
135
130
125
120
115
110
105
100
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5 Legends
-10 Silty Clay/ Loamy soil c
-15 Black Sedimentary Clay
-20
Soft Slate
-25
-30 Hard Slate
-35 Soft Rock
-40 Hard Rock
-45 Sand
-50 Bouldres/ Splinters
-55

Andaman Water Project 30

Kamaraj Nagar
Dry
MSL ft Kamraj Nagar
205
200
195
190
185
180
175
170
165
160
155
150
145
140
135
130
125
120
115
110
105
100
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20 Legends
15 Silty Clay/ Loamy soil c
Black Sedimentary Clay
10
Soft Slate
5
Hard Slate
Soft Rock
Hard Rock
Sand
Bouldres/ Splinters

Andaman Water Project 31

Lilipur
Dry Dry
MSL ft Lilipur
200
195
190
185
180
175
170
165
160
155
150
145
140
135
130
125
120
115
110
105
100
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20 Legends
15 Silty Clay/ Loamy soil c
Black Sedimentary Clay
10
Soft Slate
5
Hard Slate
0
Soft Rock
-5
Hard Rock
-10
Sand
-15
Bouldres/ Splinters

Andaman Water Project 32

Minnie bay
Dry
MSL ft Minibay
125
120
115
110
105
100
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5
-10
-15
-20
-25
-30
-35
-40
-45
-50
-55
-60 Legends
-65 Silty Clay/ Loamy soil c
Black Sedimentary Clay
Soft Slate
Hard Slate
Soft Rock
Hard Rock
Sand
Bouldres/ Splinters

Andaman Water Project 33

Pongychang
Dry
MSL ft Pongychang
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5
-10
-15
-20
-25
-30
-35
-40
-45
-50
-55
-60
-65
-70
-75
-80
-85
-90
-95
-100
-105
-110
-115

Legends
Silty Clay/ Loamy soil c
Black Sedimentary Clay
Soft Slate
Hard Slate
Soft Rock
Hard Rock
Sand
Bouldres/ Splinters

Andaman Water Project 34

Sanjeevan Colony & Shippighat
Dry Dry
MSL ft Sanjeevan Colony MSL ft Shippighat
210 105
205 100
200 95
195 90
190 85
185 80
180 75
175 70
170 65
165 60
160 55
155 50
150 45
145 40
140 35
135 30
130 25
125 20
120 15
115 10
110 5
105 0
100 -5
95 -10
90 -15
85 -20
80 -25
75 -30
70 -35
65 -40
60 -45
55 -50
50 -55
45 -60
40 -65
35 -70
Legends -75
Silty Clay/ Loamy soil c -80
Black Sedimentary Clay -85
Soft Slate -90
Hard Slate -95
Soft Rock -100
Hard Rock -105
Sand -110
Bouldres/ Splinters

Andaman Water Project 35

Wandoor
Dry
MSL ft Wandoor
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5
-10
-15
-20
-25
-30
-35
-40
-45
-50
-55
-60
-65
-70
-75
-80
-85
-90
-95
-100
-105
-110
Legends
Silty Clay/ Loamy soil c
Black Sedimentary Clay
Soft Slate
Hard Slate
Soft Rock
Hard Rock
Sand
Bouldres/ Splinters

Andaman Water Project 36

Mayabunder
Dry Dry Dry
MSL ft Mayabunder
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5
-10
-15
-20
-25
-30
-35
-40
-45
-50
-55
-60
-65

Legends
Silty Clay/ Loamy soil c
Black Sedimentary Clay
Soft Slate
Hard Slate
Soft Rock
Hard Rock
Sand
Bouldres/ Splinters

Andaman Water Project 37

Digilipur
Dry
MSL ft Subhashgram, Digilipur
100
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5
-10
-15
-20
-25
-30
Dry
MSL ft RK Gram, Diglipur
20
15
10
5
0
-5
-10
-15
Legends
Silty Clay/ Loamy soil c
Black Sedimentary Clay
Soft Slate
Hard Slate
Soft Rock
Hard Rock
Sand
Bouldres/ Splinters

Andaman Water Project 38