“Filthy water cannot be washed.”                                                                                              – An African Proverb

The importance of fresh drinking water cannot be overstated, and as we get our small piece of paradise ready for our eventual habitation, we realized that we need more than an open well for a source of clean drinking water. After a long deliberation, and on the recommendation of the Architect, we decided to sink a borehole to access clean water. Whether or not it is in fact drinkable is another story altogether, and something we will only know much later. Having a borehole is also part of the habitation license process, and something we knew we had to do.

In April 2018, as part of our land clearing trip, we made contact with an electrician, who came highly recommended. Not only did we apply for power through him, but also organized the license to drill the borehole. Thanks to Jolandi’s sister who lives in Spain and speaks Gallego (similar to Portuguese), nothing was lost in translation on this occasion, and our borehole license arrived via email shortly after our return to Abu Dhabi.

And so the clock started ticking as the license was only valid for a year. I had two conditions to the borehole. One that I was present when it was drilled and two, I wanted to drill it during the driest time of the year so the water table was at its lowest. November, we reasoned, should in theory be the best time to drill as it is at the end of the dry season and just before the start of the next rainy season. With the help of Google Translate the Electrician and I, arranged for a date and time for the “lord of the hole” (as per Google translation) to drill the borehole.

As I only had a week to get various things done, I was pleased to hear a large truck roll down the road at nine o’clock on Monday morning. I met them at the entrance to the property where they offloaded the drill rig and compressor and proceeded up the driveway. It soon became clear that there was an issue with the size of the stone entrance leading to the piece of land where the borehole was meant to be drilled. Intense discussions followed (all in Portuguese), but when they asked if they could drill the hole on the other side of our access road, I was adamant that I wanted it on the piece of land with the house. The one Jolandi always refers to as her half of the property.

Where they wanted to drill was where I wanted to place the septic tank, and as we didn’t fall in the category of people Joseph Jenkins says “shit in their drinking water supplies”, I stood my ground. We have long since decided that composting toilets are for braver souls than ourselves, and now I just had to make sure that we don’t shit in our drinking water. And so, in the typical Portuguese manner the problem was acknowledged, and a solution quickly found. After a lot of measuring it was decided to leave the compressor on one side of the land and manoeuvre the drilling machine through the stone entrance between the house and the barn, to get to the drill site where the “lord of the hole” originally found water in April. It did not take long for him to expertly get his machine through the narrow gap with millimetres to spare (see video footage). It seems fitting that Google translated his name as “lord of the hole”, as he indeed appeared to be master of his craft.

He decided to double check the exact spot, and so, out came what appears to be a piece of spring steel. He shaped it into an Ohm shape, held it tightly in his hands, and started walking around looking for the underground streams. I must admit that if you had asked me before about this “divining business”, I would have said that it is a whole load of “bollocks”. When I asked if I could try it, he showed me how to hold the steel. I took a few steps, all the time thinking that it won’t ever work. Well this is where I was instantly converted. No matter how much I tightened my grip or tried to keep it level, it seemed to spring to life with a will of its own when I walked over the underground water. I was told that it only works with certain people, so now I’m convinced that I’m blessed with super powers. Well, truth be told, although I am definitely a convert, I don’t think I will be changing my day job anytime soon.

Drilling is a long tedious process, which took the whole day. With the borehole done, the Electrician had to come back the next day to put pipe down the hole, and dig the appropriate trenches. But at the end of it, we could tick off yet another item on our long ‘to do’ list.

If you need a borehole, you should give the “lord of the hole” a call. He is efficient and accurate.

Written by: Michael

November 2018 Visit