6. Pump Maintenance

What’s the problem?
My last post outlined the potential to improve groundwater access via small, cheap, and simple groundwater pumps. However, ensuring a good water supply from these pumps is a two-step process, involving (1) pump installation and (2) pump maintenance. Although groundwater pump installation in SSA is increasing (around 1 million are now in place)… maintenance remains low with around 1/3 of them not working at any one time (RWSN, 2010; Foster, 2013).

Fig. 1 Approximately 1 out of 3 hand pumps in rural Sub-saharan Africa are non-functioning due to poor maintenance

Why is there a problem?

There is a widespread misconception that community management of groundwater pumps is the most desirable, effective and sustainable approach to maintaining rural water supplies (Harvey & Reed, 2006; Hope, 2015). Governments, bilateral organizations and NGOs often help rural communities install pumps but then leave, handing the operation and maintenance responsibility over to the local community. Harvey & Reed (2006) refer to this as the ‘project approach’. However, even if rural communities have the motivation to maintain the pump (which they often don’t), they often don’t have the means (Hope, 2015). They tend not to have (1) rapid access to spare parts/a competent mechanic, (2) enough money for spare parts/a mechanic, (3) any means of communication to report a problem. Therefore, once a pump breaks… it tends to remain broken.

What’s the solution?

1. Continuing financial support from the implementing agency or replacement of community  management with private sector provision (Harvey & Reed, 2006; Hope 2015).

2. Simpler pumps that are less likely to break down (similar to those outlined in my last post)… but even these are not immortal!
3. Improved monitoring to report/predict broken pumps to external management teams.

Improved monitoring:
Major advances in remote monitoring of hand pumps have recently been made, particularly via improved sensor technology. For example, scientists from Oxford University have developed what they call ‘smart water pumps’. These pumps have a small electronic sensor attached to the handle. The sensor monitors the vibrations generated by the pump when it is used. If these vibrations slow it predicts pump failure and if they stop completely it signifies that the pump is no longer being used (i.e. broken). The ‘vibration’ data is transmitted via SMS text messages to pump management teams (outside of the local community) to inform them if a repair is needed or expected. The pumps have been trialled in rural Kenya and have been found to significantly reduce pump downtime.

Fig. 2 Example of a ‘smart water pump’. You can see the sensor attached to the handle with blue straps. (Source: OXWATER)

Fig. 3 Example of what the sensor data looks like for a working hand pump. On the downstroke, the pump handle accelerates and judders as the water is lifted up the rising main inside the pump. On the upstroke, the pump resets, and the motion of the handle is smoother (Source: OXWATER)

It’s all well and good improving pump design and maintenance to increase groundwater abstraction… but how far can we increase it before it becomes unsustainable? I shall be investigating this in my next post.