What Aqua Earth does

Aqua Earth Drilling (Pty) Ltd is a South Africa-headquartered groundwater contracting firm operating from Randburg since 2002. The company delivers an integrated suite of geohydrology, borehole drilling, and groundwater management services to local and international mines, national and municipal government departments, industrial and petrochemical facilities, hospitality operators, and private/agricultural clients across Sub-Saharan Africa. Its technical scope spans aerial and desktop geohydrological studies, geophysical borehole siting, multi-technique drilling (air percussion, rotary, core, RC, diamond core, direct push, sonic) at depths exceeding 500m, pump and recovery testing, water quality analysis against SABS/DWA/WHO standards, borehole camera inspection to 150m, and recurring aquifer monitoring and management.

The business model is project-based professional services revenue supplemented by hardware sales of solar and electrical submersible pumps and energy systems. Pricing is driven by actual drilled depth and materials consumed, with quotes valid 14 days and a 50–60% mobilization deposit required before rigs are dispatched. The go-to-market is direct enterprise and government field sales supported by a website, Facebook, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp channels. The company holds ISO certification, Level 2 B-BBEE contributor status, and membership in the Borehole Water Association of South Africa, which collectively support procurement credibility with South African public-sector and mining clients.

Name

Aqua Earth

Legal name

Aqua Earth Drilling (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://aquaearth.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aqua Earth Drilling is a South Africa-based groundwater contractor offering geohydrology consulting, multi-technique borehole drilling, pump and water quality testing, and solar pump solutions to mines, municipalities, government departments, industrial firms, and private clients across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Randburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Borehole Drilling Services: One-time project-based drilling services for water wells, mine dewatering monitoring boreholes, environmental piezometers, groundwater pollution monitoring boreholes, and geotechnical investigation boreholes. Pricing based on actual depth drilled and materials used.
2. Geohydrology Consulting: Specialist consulting services including groundwater feasibility studies, exploration studies, construction site water supplies, groundwater supply cost benefit modelling, aquifer management, and pump schedule management.
3. Water Quality Testing Services: Water sampling and laboratory analysis services for industrial, mining, agricultural, domestic and waste site monitoring. Testing against SABS, DWA, and WHO standards.
4. Borehole Pump Installation: Installation of solar and electrical submersible pumps for boreholes along with ongoing maintenance services.
5. Solar and Energy Solutions: Design and implementation of solar borehole pumps, solar pool pumps, and broader energy solutions including geothermal systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Aqua Earth is a specialist groundwater contractor that provides an integrated suite of services spanning geohydrology consulting, scientific borehole siting using geophysical surveys, professional borehole drilling (water wells, mine dewatering, environmental piezometers, geotechnical investigation), borehole yield testing, and pump installation (solar and electrical). The company also delivers ancillary offerings including water quality laboratory testing, borehole camera inspection to 150m depth, groundwater management for municipalities and mines, geotechnical engineering, and energy solutions covering solar and geothermal systems, with operations across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Product overview

Aqua Earth is a groundwater contracting company offering an integrated suite of services for borehole development and groundwater management. The core offering consists of geohydrology consulting services, borehole siting using geophysical surveys, and professional borehole drilling. These are supported by testing services (step tests, constant rate tests, recovery tests), water quality analysis, and groundwater management solutions. The company also provides complementary products including solar and electrical borehole pumps, borehole camera inspection, and energy solutions for solar and geothermal applications. Mining-specific services cover dewatering assessment and aquifer impact analysis. The portfolio is unified under the Aqua Earth brand serving clients throughout Sub-Saharan Africa since 2002.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Geohydrology Services Specialist geohydrology services including groundwater feasibility studies, exploration studies, construction site water supplies, groundwater supply cost-benefit modelling and assessments, recharge estimation, and drilling supervision, delivered to mines, government, industrial, agricultural, and rural clients.
• Borehole Drilling Professional borehole drilling services including waterwell drilling, mine dewatering monitoring borehole drilling, installation of multilayered environmental piezometers, groundwater pollution monitoring and remediation boreholes, and geotechnical investigation boreholes, executed with multi-technique rigs (air percussion, rotary, core, RC, diamond core, direct push, hydraulic-rotary, sonic).
• Borehole Siting Identification of optimal borehole locations using reconnaissance, desktop studies, hydrocensus, and geophysical surveys (electrical resistivity, magnetic, and electromagnetic methods) to determine the best drilling position and maximise success probability.
• Borehole Testing Services Comprehensive borehole yield testing including step tests, constant rate tests, and recovery tests to establish sustainable yield, aquifer characteristics, and prevent premature borehole failure for mines, municipalities, industrial clients, and private borehole owners.
• Energy Solutions Energy solutions covering design and implementation of solar borehole pumps, solar pool pumps, solar power systems for households, offices, and farms, plus geothermal energy systems, intended to reduce grid-electricity dependency for water pumping and broader facility use.
• Water Quality Testing Specialist water quality sampling and laboratory analysis services for industrial, mining, agricultural, domestic, and waste-site monitoring, performed against SABS, DWA, and WHO standards using accredited local and international laboratories.
• Groundwater Management Ongoing aquifer management services for municipalities and mines, ranging from basic monitoring and reporting to pump schedule management, remote control and monitoring, and on-site training programmes.
• Mining Services Specialised mining services including groundwater feasibility studies, mine dewatering assessment and design, inflow rate determination, and quantification of long-term dewatering impacts on aquifers for mining operators.
• Geotechnical Engineering Geotechnical services including desktop geohydrological studies, regional hydrogeological mapping, detailed foundation investigation, and earthwork and foundation design for construction and infrastructure projects.
• Groundwater Pollution and Remediation Environmental services including waste site and tailing dam site selection, groundwater flow and contamination migration modelling, remediation strategy recommendations, and groundwater protection zone determination for industrial and mining sites.

Quantifiable outcome

• Depth capability of 500m+ for air percussion drilling in Southern Africa, with depths exceeding 500m recorded and specialized equipment supporting drilling up to ~1250m with high-powered compressors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SRK Consulting: Global mining and water consulting firm with a large South African office offering hydrogeology, mine dewatering, and environmental services to mining clients—overlaps with Aqua Earth's mining segment and groundwater modeling capabilities.
• Knight Piésold: Global engineering consultancy with a strong South African presence delivering mine hydrogeology, tailings water management, and dewatering design services to mining clients—directly comparable in mine dewatering and groundwater modeling offerings.
• GCS Water & Environment: South African water and environmental services firm providing borehole drilling, water quality testing, and environmental monitoring to mining, industrial, and municipal clients—closely comparable niche and customer overlap.
• Groundwater Africa: South African specialist drilling contractor focused on borehole drilling, siting, and pump installations for agricultural, domestic, and commercial clients—a direct niche peer in the SME borehole drilling segment.
• Delta H Engineering & Hydrology: South African water resources engineering firm providing hydrological studies, groundwater modeling, mine water management, and water resource consulting—closely aligned with Aqua Earth's geohydrology and water quality offerings.
• Geomeasure Group: South African geohydrology and drilling firm offering borehole siting, drilling, testing, and aquifer management services to mining, municipal, and private clients across Southern Africa—directly overlapping Aqua Earth's core service stack and customer base.

Broad incumbents

• WSP Africa: Global engineering consultancy with a substantial South African practice providing water supply, geotechnical, and environmental services—a broader incumbent that competes with Aqua Earth on large municipal and mining infrastructure projects.
• SLR Consulting: Global environmental and advisory consultancy with South African operations covering water resource management, mine water, and environmental site assessments—broader portfolio than Aqua Earth but overlaps heavily in mining and groundwater services.
• Veolia Water Technologies South Africa: Global water services and technology provider with South African operations serving mining, industrial, and municipal clients with water treatment, borehole development, and groundwater management—comparable in water-supply end markets but at much larger scale.
• ERM (Environmental Resources Management): Global environmental consultancy with significant African mining and water practice providing groundwater impact assessments, monitoring, and remediation services—competes with Aqua Earth on the environmental and mining side of its portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aqua-earth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aqua Earth