The living wisdom : using local well driller

The low density of current groundwater instrumentation networks in developing countries, that are both cost and management intensive, is an impediment to informed management of groundwater. Counter to this, local knowledge of groundwater which is often perceptive has greater spatial coverage and can be obtained at a relatively lower cost. One efficient way to tap such local groundwater knowledge is through well drillers. In the Vaishali district of Bihar state in eastern India, a new methodological approach is used to identify and sensitize well drillers towards creating a local groundwater database. A localized lithology of a single village is created using both the experiential knowledge and current practice of these drillers. Though subjective and tangible sources of uncertainty enter into this process, the compiled knowledge is shown to be verifiable and cost-effective. There is a potential for upscaling this approach and create accurate regional groundwater databases at low cost.