Pump Making

This is Harisen on one of our lathes, in our factory in Luwinga, Mzuzu, making parts for our pumps. We use only materials manufactured in Malawi, except for the S.S bar.
Pump making is an important function in our role in Malawi.
We are now making about 500 pumps per year, equating to about 100,000 poor villagers getting clean, safe drinking water for life.
The pump is all non corrosive made of plastic with a stainless steel rod.
It is a direct action handpump which delivers about 20 litres per minute from depths of up to 25 metres deep.
The most interesting attribute is that it can be maintained by local women who have got some training, with simple tools comprising 2 six inch nails.
We record all pump locations together with date of installation, water level and depth. If a pump were to fail (extremely rare) then we bring a new pump unscrew the old and screw in the new. Of course the old pump would be fully recyclabe.
If there is a better hand pump of its type, I have yet to see it!

Only about 40% 19%, I'm now told of handpumps installed in the past 25 years in Africa, work today. A little wasteful, don't you think.