<P> A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring, or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers . The well water is drawn by a pump, or using containers, such as buckets, that are raised mechanically or by hand . Wells were first constructed at least eight thousand years ago and historically vary in construction from a simple scoop in the sediment of a dry watercourse to the stepwells of India, the qanats of Iran, and the shadoofs and sakiehs of India . Placing a lining in the well shaft helps create stability and linings of wood or wickerwork date back at least as far as the Iron Age . </P> <P> Wells have been traditionally sunk by hand digging as is the case in rural developing areas . These wells are inexpensive and low - tech as they use mostly manual labour and the structure can be lined with brick or stone as the excavation proceeds . A more modern method called caissoning uses pre-cast reinforced concrete well rings that are lowered into the hole . Driven wells can be created in unconsolidated material with a well hole structure, which consists of a hardened drive point and a screen of perforated pipe, after which a pump is installed to collect the water . Deeper wells can be excavated by hand drilling methods or machine drilling, using a bit in a borehole . Drilled wells are usually cased with a factory - made pipe composed of steel or plastic . Drilled wells can access water at much greater depths than dug wells . </P>

Where does water for a well come from