Human and animal powered water lifting devices
Practical Action
Criteria
Key Questions
Technical Aspects :
Lift height and
yield
How much water is required for irrigation
purposes?
How high does the lifter have to raise the
water?
Soil Conditions What are the local soil conditions?
Can you access water the water easily i.e.
surface water or hand-dug well or is
drilling required?
Operators
Is the lifter suitable and acceptable to the
people who will operate it?
Is the operation ergonomic (comfortable to
use) and realistic for the group responsible
for irrigation?
Are there health and safety considerations,
such as dangerous machinery?
Financial and Economic Aspects :
Capital Cost
What is the initial cost of the water lifter?
Does the village have sufficient funds or is a
loan required?
How soon will the community be able to
pay back the loan/ recover this investment?
Material and
Manufacturing
Costs
Operating Costs
Can the lifter be manufactured using local
skills and materials?
What is the operating cost of the lifter?
Does the village have sufficient
manpower/animal power to operate the
lifter for all the time it is needed?
Maintenance
Costs
What is the cost of maintaining/ repairing
the lifter?
Are the skills to maintain/ repair the water
lifter available locally?
Are spare parts available and affordable?
How often is the lifter likely to need
maintenance and/or repair?
How long will repairs take and what will
the villagers do in the meantime?
Life expectancy How long is the lifter expected to last before
it has to be replaced?
How resistant is the lifter to vandalism or
abuse?
Institutional and Social Aspects :
Household/
Community
Is there a community organisation capable
of overseeing operation, maintenance and
management of the device and the water?
Will the users be instructed how to use and
look after the device?
Table 1: Checklist for Water Lifting Device Selection
Important Points to Note
Water lifting requirements depends amongst
other things upon the climate, the crop and
the area to be irrigated.
The capacity of water lifter varies from around
0.5 m to more than 100 m.
Where there is very rocky soil a borehole will
usually need to be drilled to reach the
groundwater.
The choice of water lifter should take into
account which group of people are tasked with
water lifting for irrigation.
It is important to determine if average and
maximum handle forces required are realistic
for the proposed user.
Using a water lifter for irrigation increases
efficiency and productivity and can ensure the
generation of additional income. For instance
families that introduced a treadle pump for
irrigation were able to generate between
US$100 and 500 additional income each
year.
It should be noted that although it may only
be necessary to irrigate crops for some of the
year, traction animals will need to be
maintained all year round. It is therefore
important to determine other tasks that will be
undertaken by the animal and ensure that the
timing of these task do not conflict.
Maintenance is an integral part of lifter
management. For more complicated designs, it
is important to carry out preventative
maintenance. Serious problems can be
avoided by undertaking regular inspections
and servicing of the mechanical parts. Wear
and tear will be less severe this way and any
problems will be solved before they cause
major damage.
The lifter should be suitable for Village Level
Operation and Maintenance (VLOM) or
Management of Maintenance (VLOMM). This
reduces the reliance of villagers upon large
institutions to sustain the water supply.
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