4.1. Bailer pumping tests
Hydraulic conductivity is a parameter that reflects the relative
ease at which water can pass through subsurface materials. This
parameter is needed for the groundwater flow model to estimate
the response of the Horongo aquifer to recharge and pumping.
Hydraulic conductivity (K) was determined by performing
twelve manual pumping tests in four hand-dug wells with the help
of village women. The pumping wells were used daily by village
women, and their water collection would be altered each day the
test was performed. Therefore, it was imperative that testing
procedures were developed in collaboration with the women. In
the absence of a mechanical pump, the women’s help was further
required to drawwater from the wells and lower thewater levels so
that well recovery, after pumping, could be measured. It was
reasonable to request the women to hand-bail the well because the
women already drew this water from the wells on a daily basis.
Instead of two or three trips to the well the women were asked to