34 Water for Life
Pumping water from wells
Water flows downhill. A pump is needed to move water uphill. Many kinds of pumps
are available including pumps that use electricity, gas, solar energy, or human energy
to move water. If a pump is difficult to use or if it is out of service often, people may
return to collecting water from unsafe sources.
How to choose a pump
Because a pump may be the most costly part of a water system, it is important to
choose the right kind of pump for your household or community. When choosing a
pump you may want to consider these things:
• Both men and women should be involved in selecting the community pump.
• A pump should reduce the effort needed to lift water.
• A pump should be manageable by one woman alone.
• A pump should be reliable. If a pump needs costly fuel or electricity which may
be unavailable, it is not useful.
• A pump should be easy to repair with available spare parts. A pump that breaks
easily but is very easy to repair locally may be better than a pump that will only
break after 5 years, but that cannot be easily repaired by local people.
The Nicaraguan rope pump: A low cost, easy way to lift water
All pumps have one thing in common — if they break there is no water. For most people,
the best pump is one that they can build, operate, and repair by themselves.
The Nicaraguan rope pump is
based on an ancient design from
China. It is used to raise water
from drilled or hand-dug wells up
to 50 meters deep. It uses a metal
pulley wheel, a rope with small
rubber discs attached, a plastic
pipe that encases the rope, and
a rope guide in the bottom of the
well. As a person turns the pulley
wheel, water is lifted and pours
out a spout at the top of the well.
Because only a small amount
of water is lifted with each turn
of the wheel, it takes very little
strength and is easy to operate.
The best thing about this
pump is the low cost and the
ease of fixing it. The rope is the
part most likely to break, and
even if it is patched rather than
replaced, the pump still works.
The Nicaraguan rope pump is
used in many places around the
world. In each place people have
changed the design to fit their
needs and the materials they
have to build and repair it.
Rope
Ground
Bicycle wheel
or pulley with
handle
T joint
PVC pipe
Rubber discs
Bucket
Water level
Concrete with ‘U’
shaped PVC pipe
for rope guide
The rope pump is made from low cost, durable parts.