Community Water Supply : The handpump option

This text presents the findings of UNDP/World Bank Handpumps projects, whose primary objective was to reduce the cost and increase the reliability of rural water supply systems based on groundwater and handpumps. This book is designed as a reference manual for policymakers and development professionals.

In recent years, efforts to bring water to the rural poor have produced dramatic changes around the world. The concept of community management has established itself as the most sustainable approach. Technologies have been adapted to widely varying conditions and rigours and, most important, for the millions of poor who lack access to safe water, these technologies have been low cost, so it is now possible for many companies to construct and maintain their own facilities. This text presents the findings of UNDP/World Bank Handpumps projects, whose primary objective was to reduce the cost and increase the reliability of rural water supply systems based on groundwater and handpumps. Thousands of handpumps of many different designs have been field tested by the projects, and this edition updates much of the information presented in the first edition as well as incorporating a new chapter on corrosion in handpumps. This book is designed as a reference manual for policymakers and development professionals.