is more efficient for smaller countries to procure handpumps from abroad, especially from other developing nations with long experience in the production of public domain handpumps (India is the notable example here, producing - and exporting - thousands of Mark II/III, Afridev and Tara handpumps at prices significantly lower than anywhere else in the world).
Other Pumping Systems The handpump is, and will remain, the pump of choice for most UNICEF sponsored water supply projects. All other pumping systems, including those based on alternative energy sources, have greater capital and operating costs associated with them and in most cases, greater maintenance costs as well. However there are specific situations where power pumps can be more appropriate than handpumps, such as: -
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areas where a storage and distribution system is necessary (e.g. rural hospitals), economically feasible (e.g. high density poor urban neighborhoods), or desired by a community willing and able to pay the higher capital, operation and maintenance costs associated with such a system; areas with a relatively inexpensive and reliable source of energy (usually electricity); situations where greater yields than that available from a handpump is required (e.g. communities with only one borewell which require water for additional needs such as cattle and irrigation); areas where the only available water is groundwater which is deeper than 90 m; some emergency situations (e.g. rapidly expanding refugee camps); in some areas where the only source is surface water.
Electric pumps are reliable, easy to operate and require little maintenance. Where villages and urban neighborhoods are connected to an electric grid network, the installation of piped systems with an electric pump can be appropriate. However, the electricity supply must be reliable, and the additional operation and maintenance costs must be taken into account during the project design phase. There are a wide variety of electric pumps available, including shaft drive, centrifugal and submersible (which is the most common). A type of electric pump known as the jet pump, which pumps water down a well through a venturi forcing more water up the well, is becoming more common and, in some areas, very inexpensive.
WATER HANDBOOK
UNICEF
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