Treadle pumps
Practical Action
The superstructure is erected by using bamboo or wooden poles. It consists of two horizontal
treadles and two vertical poles. A short guide pole is installed between the treadles to prevent
collision.
In Nepal, the field tests showed
an average flow rate of 3.3m3
from a depth of 4-5m.
Standard treadle pumps are
suction pumps. Most treadle
pumps manufactured in Africa are
pressure treadle pumps, a
modification to the original design
that means water is forced out of
the pump under pressure.
Pressure treadle pumps are more
versatile, as they allow farmers to
pump water uphill, over long
distances, or to elevated tanks.
The treadle pump was originally
researched and developed in
Bangladesh in the early 80s. In a
period of 15 years nearly 2
million pumps were disseminated
in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and
other countries of Asia and Africa.
In Nepal, the treadle pump was
introduced by International
Development Enterprises (IDE)
during the early 90s. By 2005
more than 95000 farmers had
adopted treadle pumps. Various
studies have shown that treadle
pumps generate $100-$500
additional household income for
rural farmers.
Figure 3: Sectional view of an installed treadle pump.
The treadle pump is a low investment technology
making it affordable to larger numbers of rural
farmers.
IDE has an approach to create market for the
technology and benefit rural poor through their
participation in the market systems.
Figure 4: Using the bamboo treadle pump in
Kapilvastu, Nepal. Photo: Practical Action Nepal.
More than 4 types of treadle pump have been
developed. The most popular, simple and low
cost version is the 3.5” cylinder diameter
bamboo treadle pump, which Practical Action
adopted for its work in Nepal. Details of which
are described below.
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