[[Image:Handpump.jpg|thumb|right|250px200px|Liquid Gold - Children in the Central African Republic pump clean water from underground. Photo: Marielle van Uitert.]]
Many different kinds of handpumps are frequently installed on hand-dug wells and boreholes in rural areas, including many drought-prone areas. They facilitate a contamination-free method to extract water. Most pumps are positive displacement pumps and have reciprocating pistons or plungers.
The investment cost per capita is lower for communities of between 1,000 and 5,000 inhabitants if small piped systems with pumps powered by electricity from the grid or diesel engines are installed instead of handpumps. Only one or two high-yield wells will be required. In the size range of 1,000 to 2,000 inhabitants, piped systems with solar pumps are attractive, especially if the pumping lifts are low. Contrary to grid or diesel-powered systems, solar pump systems have no energy costs, but their application can be limited due to the high cost of photovoltaic panels – thus the number of panels needed is a determining cost factor.
===Handpump types===
====Reciprocating handpumps====
The majority of handpump types used worldwide belong to the group of reciprocating pumps. The water is lifted by a piston that is raised and lowered inside a cylinder that has a footvalve. The piston (or plunger) is moved by a pump rod connected directly to a T-handle or a lever handle at the pump head. In some pump types, a flywheel with crankshaft is used to create the reciprocating movement of the piston.
'''Suction pumps'''<br>
[[Image:rower pump.jpg|thumb|right|250px200px| The Rower Pump is a suction pump in which the piston is directly activated. Photo: [http://www.rural-water-supply.net/en/implementation/handpumppublic-overviewdomain-handpumps/rower-pump RWSN.]]]
In a suction pump, the cylinder is above the water table, usually near the top of the pump head. The rising main extends below the water table. When the pump is operated, during the upwards stroke it appears that water gets “sucked up” through the rising main into the cylinder. In fact, the atmospheric pressure forces the water into the area of low pressure underneath the piston. The theoretical limit to which the atmospheric pressure can push up water is 10 metres (m). In practice, suction pumps can be used to lift water up to about 7 or 8 m.
'''Direct Action handpump'''<br>
[[Image:DirectActionHandpump.jpg|thumb|right|250px200px| Direct action handpump mechanics. Drawing: WHO.]]
Direct action handpumps are usually made of PVC and other plastics, and are installed on boreholes of limited depth. A plunger is attached to the lower end of a pump rod, beneath the groundwater level. The user moves the pump rod in an up-and-down motion, using a T-bar handle. On the up-stroke, the plunger lifts water into the rising main, and replacement water is drawn into the cylinder through the foot valve. On the downstroke, the foot valve closes, and water passes through a one-way valve in the plunger and is lifted on the next upstroke.
'''Lever Action handpump'''<br>
[[Image:bush pump.jpg|thumb|right|250px200px|The Bush pump is a lever action pump that can handle heavier usage by many people. Photo: [http://www.rural-water-supply.net/en/implementation/handpumppublic-overviewdomain-handpumps/bush-pump RWSN.]]]
Most deep-well handpumps are of the lever action type. The increased length of the water column in deep boreholes requires more effort to draw water and the lever of the handle makes the operation easier. Besides the conventional handle, there are also pump designs, which use a flywheel to operate a crankshaft for transforming the rotation into an up-and-down movement.
Example of a diaphragm pump: [[Vergnet Hydro]]
===Suitable conditions===
Handpumps should be installed only when a viable sustainable handpump option has been shown to work in the area. Depending on pump standardization in the country and depth of the water table, it is preferable to choose simple technologies that do not need specialist parts and that are repairable locally. The rural poor prefer to have cheaper, shorter-life technologies despite the need to maintain them more frequently.
'''Commercial Trademarks:''' [[Volanta Afripump / Blue pump]], Kardia, [[Vergnet Hydro]], Bluepump (also known as the Afripump)
'''Public Domain conventional lever action:''' [[Afridev pump]], [[India Mark 2 and 3]], [[Indus pump]], [[Kabul pump]], [[Pamir pump]], [[Jibon pump]], [[U3M pump]], and [[Walami pump]].
The [[rope pump]] is used by 25% of the rural population in Nicaragua. The technology was disseminated in a very short time over the whole country and part of Central America with more than 25,000 pumps installed in handdug wells and drilled wells. It is the national standard pump for the water & sanitation sector.
===Construction, operations and maintenance===[[Image:pump altitude.jpg|thumb|right|250px200px|Example: a treadle pump is promoted as capable of lifting water from 23 ft. at sea level, the graph indicates that at 8000 ft elevation a loss of 8.8 ft. of suction capacity will result. The pump used at this elevation is now capable of lifting water from 14 ft. Chart: [http://www.pacificliquid.com/ Pacific Liquid & Air Systems.]]]
'''General advice on cement''': A common cause of cracks in structures and linings (e.g. in tanks, dams, waterways, wells) is errors in mixing and applying the cement. First of all, it is important that only pure ingredients are used: clean water, clean sand, clean rocks. The materials have to be mixed very thoroughly. Secondly, the amount of water during mixing needs to minimal: the concrete or cement needs to be just workable, on the dry side even, and not fluid. Thirdly, it is essential that during curing the cement or concrete is kept moist at all times, for at least a week. Structures should be covered with plastic, large leaves or other materials during the curing period, and kept wet regularly.
====The VLOM concept====
[[Image:VillageHandpump.jpg|thumb|right|250px200px| A handpump in Apowugo village, Ghana. <br> Photo: WaterAid / Jon Spaull]]
The term VLOM (Village Level Operation and Maintenance) was coined during the World Bank / UNDP Rural Water Supply Handpumps Project which, from 1981 - 91, considered the availability around the world at that time of handpump technologies and maintenance systems.
The Afridev handpump was developed during the course of the project to embody all of the VLOM design principles. Production began in Kenya in 1985 and modifications were made after field trials in Kwale in Southern Kenya.
Improvements continue to be made. SKAT Skat (Swiss Resource Centre and Consultancies for Development Co-operation in Technology and Management) acts as a repository for the design drawings and specifications for the benefit of users and manufacturers of the handpumps.
===Costs===
Direct Action Handpump - Initial cost: From about US$100 to over $900 (1985 prices). Models suitable for village level O&M cost less than US$150.
Analysis of costs for handpumps to the commercial '''Simple Pump''': [http://www.simplepump.com/APPLICATIONS/Developing-Nations/Real-Costs-TCO.html COMPARING SIMPLE PUMP TO OTHER PUMPS], by Simple Pump.
===Field experiences===Tests were done on some handpumps that are documented in [http://wwwdocuments.googleworldbank.comorg/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsp.org%2FUserFiles%2Ffile%2F418200734405_handpumps.pdf&ei=ESKHT7WlOtDRiAKv_qzYDw&usg=AFQjCNHavJgwIhMHXPdby7OV5PiucVAcurated/en/1992/10/699553/handpumps-toward-sustainable-technology-research-development-during-water-supply-sanitation-3Q&sig2=mDpXSceP1rKcazbdG9RBNg decade A Sustainable Technology: Research and Development During Water Supply and Sanitation Decade], by UNDP - World Bank Water and Sanitation Program. Refer to the following pages of this document:
'''Kenya''' - The Afridev Handpump p. 80-84. <br>
'''Bangladesh''' - The Tara Direct-Action Pump p. 89 and 90. <br>
====Akvo RSR Projects====The following projects utilize handpumps.<br>{{RSR_table|1image=project 897.png |1link=http://rsr.akvo.org/project/897/ |1project#=897 |1project name=Behsee Town <br>Well Restoration ||2image=project 898.png |2link=http://rsr.akvo.org/project/898/ |2project#=898 |2project name=Lebeh Well <br>Restoration ||3image=project 900.png |3link=http://rsr.akvo.org/project/902/ |3project#=902 |3project name=Tomah Town <br>Well Restoration ||4image=project 1112.png |4link=http://rsr.akvo.org/project/1112/ |4project#=1112 |4project name=Child Friendly School WASH Project II ||5image=project 1366.png |5link=http://rsr.akvo.org/project/1366/ |5project#=1366 |5project name=Rural Boreholes and Rehabilitation 1 |}}{|style="border: 2px solid #e0e0e0; width: 40%; text-align: justify; background-color: #e9f5fd;" cellpadding="2"|- style="vertical-align: top"|[[Image:akvorsr logo_lite.png|center|60px|link=http://akvo.org/products/rsr/]]|- style="vertical-align: bottom"|[[Image:project 1367.png |thumb|center|140px|<font size="2"><center>[http://rsr.akvo.org/project/1367/ RSR Project 1367]<br>Panta District <br>Rural Water Project 1</center></font>|link=http://rsr.akvo.org/project/1367/ ]] |[[Image:project 1381.png |thumb|center|140px|<font size="2"><center>[http://rsr.akvo.org/project/1381/ RSR Project 1381]<br>Health & WASH <br>BHP Billiton Work Area 1</center></font>|link=http://rsr.akvo.org/project/1381/ ]] |} <br> ===Manuals, videos, and links===* [http://www.rural-water-supply.net/en/implementation/public-domain-handpumps RWSN: Comprehensive information on community handpumps, including manuals and specifications for Afridev, Indian India Mark II/III and Tara pumps]
* [http://www.practica.org/products/pumps/ Pumps]. Different kinds of pumps. [http://www.akvo.org/rsr/organisation/15/ PRACTICA Foundation].
===Acknowledgements===* SKAT Skat, Switzerland, [http://artplatformwww.unicef.org/washsupply/UNICEF_WASH_Technology_webindex_54301.pdf WASH html Technology Information Packages – for UNICEF WASH Programme and Supply Personnel]. UNICEF, 2010.* Brikke, François, and Bredero, Maarten. [http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CC0QFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.who.int%2Fwater_sanitation_health%2Fhygiene%2Fom%2Flinkingintro/water_sanitation_health/hygiene/om/linkingintro.pdf&ei=cwJpT-zaO-OiiQKCst2rBw&usg=AFQjCNEWOQhTgF3a7lzhuw5OA2KmbVGxcA&sig2=Rt2EURUyGVqDcwFg6p0xAw Linking technology choice with operation and maintenance in the context of community water supply and sanitation: A reference document for planners and project staff]. World Health Organization and IRC Water and Sanitation Centre. Geneva, Switzerland 2003.
* Szánto, Gábor L. et al. Drinking Water Decision Support Tool. [http://www.akvo.org/rsr/organisation/15/ PRACTICA Foundation]. 2011.
* CARE Nederland, Desk Study Resilient WASH systems in drought prone areas. October 2010.
* [http://www.wateraid.org/uk/what_we_do/sustainable_technologies/technology_notes/244.asp Technology Notes: Handpumps]. WaterAid.
* Reynolds, John, [http://www.googlewsp.comorg/sites/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsp.org%2FUserFiles%2Ffile%2F418200734405_handpumps/files/publications/418200734405_handpumps.pdf&ei=ESKHT7WlOtDRiAKv_qzYDw&usg=AFQjCNHavJgwIhMHXPdby7OV5PiucVA-3Q&sig2=mDpXSceP1rKcazbdG9RBNg A Sustainable Technology: Research and Development During Water Supply and Sanitation Decade]. UNDP - World Bank Water and Sanitation Program, 1992.
* [http://www.ropepump.com/ The Rope Pump]. ropepump.com