Hand pumps for water lifting
Practical Action
Criteria
abuse?
Key Questions
Institutional and Social Aspects
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
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.
Types of human-powered water lifters
Human Powered Water Lifters can be split into two categories, those designed to raise
groundwater; and those designed to lift surface water.
Groundwater is water that flows or seeps downward through the earth filling up the
spaces between soil, sand and rock to form a saturated zone. The upper surface of this
saturated zone is called the “water table.” The “water table” may be just below the
surface like a spring or oasis or it may be over 100 metres down. The only way to get
access to this water is by digging and/or drilling.
Surface Water is water present in depressions, lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and oceans.
Water lifting for domestic and community water supplies is most commonly related to
raising groundwater. This Technical Brief therefore focuses upon groundwater. Water
lifting from surface water sources is most often related to irrigation, which is covered in
the Technical Brief Human- and Animal-Powered Water Lifters for Irrigation.
Open-well pumps
The simplest and cheapest method of lifting groundwater
remains the rope and bucket in a wide, shallow well. Open
wells are usually lined with brick, stone or concrete to retain
the well walls. This type of well can operate up to a depth of
100 metres, although they rarely exceed 45 metres. The job
of drawing water from the well can be made easier by adding
a “windlass” (a horizontal cylinder with a winch which can be
turned to raise the bucket on a rope) or a “shadouf” (an
upright frame with a long pole suspended on top with the
bucket hanging from one end and a weight which serves as
the counterpoise of a lever at the other.)
Figure 2: A well using a windless
and bucket to extract water for
human and animal consumption.
A dedicated livestock drinking
trough separates the animals’
water from the humans’ water in
Turkana, Kenya. Photo: Justine
Williams / Practical Action
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