Hand pumps for water lifting
Practical Action
Destination
1. (> 7m)
Source
2. (<7m)
3 (Surface)
Deep-well Lift Pump
4 (Tank)
Deep-well Lift & Force Pump
5 (Village)
Deep-well Lift & Force Pump
Table 3: Water-lifter options
Shallow-well Suction Pump or Open-well
Shallow-well Suction & Force Pump
Shallow-well Suction & Force Pump
Comparison of water-lifting device application and performance
Table 4 provides an assessment of the different technologies considered in this technical brief. A
large number of hand pumps have been designed according to the principles of Village Level
Operation and Maintenance (VLOM) i.e. the water lifting device should be:
Easy to maintain by a village caretaker requiring minimal skills and few tools;
Manufactured in-country, primarily to ensure the availability of spare parts;
Robust and reliable under field conditions; and
Cost effective.
These criteria along with that of depth of the groundwater and the water yield from the pump are
considered below. It should be noted that as lift height increases, flow rate falls, so at maximum lift,
the actual flow rate will be much less than the maximum flow rate. Flow rates are given for one
person operating the pump. The values given in the table are approximate and should be taken only
as a rough guide.
Type
Manufacture
OPEN WELL
Shadouf
Rope &
Bucket
Basic/
Traditional
Basic/
Traditional
SHALLOW WELL
Suction
piston
Industrial
Rower
Traditional
Treadle
DEEP WELL
Direct
action
Rope
Diaphragm
Basic/
Traditional
Traditional/
Industrial
Basic/
Traditional
Industrial
Investment
Cost
Village Level
Operation and
Maintenance
(VLOM)
Low Yes
Low to
Medium
Yes
Low to
Medium
Low to
Medium
Low to
Medium
Yes
Yes
Yes
Medium to
High
Low to
Medium
High
Yes
Yes
No
Helical
rotor
Lift piston
Industrial
Industrial
Medium to
High
Low to High
Table 4: Technology Assessment
No
Depends on
design.
Max. lift
height
(metres)
4
100
7
7
7
12
35
70
100
100
Typical
flow rate
(l/min)
Typical
lift
height
(metres)
60 2
15 10
24-36
50
100
7
4
4
15-26
40
10
30
15
16
15-22
11-17
12
10
35
10
45
45
25
45
11