Report - Water Pump

SETTING A WATER PUMP

All forms of life are dependent on water in one way or another for survival. The ground water from deeper strata is the safest source of water. This is located and tapped by drilling bore/tube wells to a depth of about 100 meters.

When we visited for the first time Chasato school, we were informed that this area was suffering of water scarcity. In fact they have a borehole but due to several reasons such as deforestation and climate change the water table is low, leading to, in the case of Chasato, only to be possible to withdraw only 15 buckets of 20 liters per day.

Chasato has around 700 students plus other villages around that are dependent on that borehole. This was the major problem for that school and community and we decided to take action.

We scheduled a meeting with the Mzimba Irrigation Office`s director. After 1 hour debating the Chasato`s situation, he agreed that something should be done. An expert came with us to identify the problems related to the borehole. He explained us as well as to the community what was possible to do in that circumstances. Some meters of pump rod and a drop pipe was needed to buy. The only thing that we could do was to extend the pipes under the water table that was low. Ideally, we should drill more meters or install a new borehole in a different site, but it requires millions that can only be afforded or supported by a NGO or a donner.

So, we went to town to buy all the materials and in the same day when we came back to Chasato, hundreds of people were seat around the school.

We though that they were all waiting for water since the borehole was dismantled. But, in fact, they were just queuing for receiving coupons of maize.

With some children wondering what we were doing, we started the action with some members of the community

SOME OF THE STEPS

Dismantling the stand assembly

Unsetting the cylinder assembly and riser pipers

Installing the cylinder pipe

Fixing successive pipe and rods

Fixing successive pipe and rods

Reinstallation of the stand assembly

We took some time to dismantle and install the stand assembly since such pumps has been designed to avoid thieves to remove the different parts inside the pump. Actually, the interest for hand pump spare-parts is fostered by the local economic trend:   

the increase of importation taxes, devaluation of the local currency (Kwacha), higher prices for the Afridev spare-parts.

The temptation to steal and resale them is getting higher.

Note: The hand pump spare-parts are not produced in Malawi but imported from India. The majority of these infrastructures in Malawi are boreholes equipped with Afridev hand pumps.

It is clear that the work that was done will provide more liters of water for the village however it cannot be enough.

Let´s remember that a possible new borehole will not the end of the problems. We need to focus on preventive measures and not to fight the symptoms of the problems.

Water circulates between the surface of the earth and the atmosphere and back to the earth’s surface in what is called the hydrological cycle. When it rains a certain amount of water is filtered into the ground and percolates through the porosities in the subsoil and rocks. The volume open to hold and transmit such “groundwater” varies from fractions of one per cent up to 30 percent of the total soil and rock volume.

If around the borehole we don’t have trees or other vegetation the water will not be retained into the soil and as a result of that the ground water doesn’t fill up.

It is vital to plant water friendly trees.

It is vital to plant water friendly trees!