Then he lowered the bucket into the shallow well and brought it up.

"And shallow wells are much more at risk of being contaminated," he said.

In some cases, shallow wells of 22 to 25 feet must be drilled deeper.

Houses tend to be occupied by from six to twenty people, using shallow wells for water.

But the shallow wells can the drilled with uniform diameter.

For example, protected shallow wells in urban areas are often contaminated with bacteria.

People here are especially vulnerable because they rely solely on shallow wells outside each home for their water supply.

It is estimated that there are as many as 500,000 deep and shallow wells in the country.

There was no city water works; so all depended on shallow wells, which were strong of alkali.

The property was watered with clay holes and shallow wells.