Lessons learned.
This pump was developed to reduced problems ban improvement of former hand pump models. It is a public domain pump and can be produced by different companies.
It is considered to be a VLOM (Village Level Operated & Maintained) pump. So a pump that, after some training, can be maintained and repaired by community members or a village technician. Especially in Africa this is not always the case. Lessons learned
- More than the India mark 2 this pump is a VLOM Pump
History
The development of the Afridev and Malda pumps started in Malawi in the early 80’s.
Lateron the development of Afridev shifted to Kenya in 1983.
The Afridev Pump is a conventional lever action handpump. It is designed for heavy-duty use, serving communities of up to 300 persons. The maximum recommended lift is 45 m. The Afridev Pump is a public domain pump defined by RWSN specifications. The Afridev Pump is fully corrosion resistant, easy to install and has excellent potential for community-based maintenance.
The configuration includes an “open top” cylinder: the piston can be removed from the cylinder without dismantling the rising main. The foot valve is retractable with a fishing tool.
In Pakistan and Afghanistan derivatives of the Afridev Pump with the names Indus, Kabul and Pamir Pump have been developed. There are several models
AFRIDEV Rev 3. This model has PVC riser pipes which are glued together (permanently) and rods with hook and eye end couplings.
AFRIDEV Rev 4. Introduced about 2003 It has threaded rod couplings and an improved plunger / foot-valve arrangement. The AFRIDEV Rev 4 seems a less VLOM pump than the AFRIDEV Rev 3. After trialing the AFRIDEV Rev 4 on a 1,000 hand pump project in east central Malawi in 2002 this project reverted back to the AFRIDEV Rev 3 with hook and eye type rods.
Construction, operations and maintenance
Pump head, handle and pump stand are made of galvanised steel, pump rods of stainless steel or of FRP rods (fibre glass reinforced plastic), rising main of PVC-U pipe (Ø 63 mm), cylinder of PVC-U pipe with brass liner (Ø 50 mm), plunger and foot valve are of brass or plastic. This pump is fully corrosion resistant.
All steel parts of this pump have the potential for local manufacturing. Local companies that manufacture PVC-U pipes and have the knowledge of processing engineering plastics are able to produce the “down-hole components”. Tooling costs are high and therefore the number of manufacturers will be limited.
The installation of the Afridev Pump is not difficult and does not need any lifting equipment.
It is however recommended to employ a well-trained crew with the necessary skills for the installation.
This pump has an excellent “Community Management Potential”, it is reliable, easy to repair by a village caretaker and popular with the communities.
Much information on site or RWSN.
- http://www.rural-water-supply.net/en/search?search=Afridev
- http://www.rural-water-supply.net/en/implementation/public-domain-handpumps/afridev
- Afridev: Installation and Maintenance Manual for the Afridev Handpump (Revision 2-2007). RWSN (incl. HTN), 2007.
- ERPF, K. Afridev: Handpump with Bottom Support System, Revision 1-2008. Rural Water Supply Network, 2008.
