The pump
division of Aakash International has introduced new and improved
Afridev hand pump for export. The company’s export branch also ensures
that the new and improved
Afridev
pump can be made available though out African region. Our experience has shown
that the failure of water-supply projects lies not so much in the
implementation of these products, but in the subsequent maintenance of
these water systems. Systems fail because maintenance needs cannot be met. The
choice of technology often requires a highly- skilled maintenance team.
However, as a result of financial constraints and lack of resources, the high
costs of this type of maintenance are often not sustainable. What is
needed is a technology that matches the resources to sustain it. Water-supply
technologies that are designed around the Village Level Operation &
Maintenance (Vlom) concept have the highest potential for sustainability. For
many communities in Africa, hand pumps such as Afridev, India MKII and III and
the Zimbabwean Bush pump are often the only source of potable water supply.
The
success of our hand pumps in remote and inaccessible parts of Africa is mainly
attributed to the Vlom characteristics of these pumps. Aakash
International manufactured afridev hand pumps are easy to operate and
do not require a highly-skilled maintenance team to carry out routine repairs
and maintenance. Aakash International produced hand pumps are also
easy to install as heavy equipment and specialized tools are not
required. The rising main of the Afridev hand pump is a belled uPVC column
that is easily installed using two or three people. No tripod is required and,
with the help of the guiding rope, the columns are installed without much
fuss. The connecting hook and eye rods fit into each other and no spanner
is required. Once the uPVC columns have been installed, it is no longer
necessary to remove the columns when doing future maintenance. The cylinder
has an open top through which the plunger rod is easily removed, allowing
the hand pump technician to change the necessary seals. Aakash
International hands pumps have extensive countrywide
and international distribution network, which ensures that spares are
readily available, thus ensuring the continued sustainability of the
product.
The
solution to change these desperate conditions that exist in many regions of
Africa and India must be multi-faceted to accommodate a variety of
conditions.
Aakash International provides
Afridev Hand Pumps and India Mark II hand pumps to withstand drought. We wish
to prevent the water drought, not react to it. It’s the only way to actually
prevent the drought cycle from occurring when regional weather patterns change
periodically. And it has been suggested by many scientists that as global
warming evolves, drought cycles will become more common and for longer
durations in many regions of the world that are currently in a water-stressed
condition.
In
reference, in 2001, the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) asked
various organizations to perform an investigation of groundwater availability
in water-short regions of the world. That investigation was documented in a
report entitled: Groundwater Availability Study for Water-Short Developing
Countries, where it was shown there are significant groundwater assets
available even in some of the most drought-prone areas of the world. Although
available, these groundwater assets are not being used today because often the
leaders of drought-prone countries do not possess the political will to drill
water wells for their own people.
Right now,
countless communities in over 50 nations are suffering needlessly because water
is scarce, contaminated, or non-existent. The sad irony is this:
Often
there is enough water to save thousands of lives just 100 to 300 feet away.
Where? Underground. Therefore we bring Afridev hand pumps and India Mark II
hand pump and equipment to rural areas in order to provide life-giving sources
of water.
Hand pumps
are used primarily in developing nations as a manually powered means of
bringing water to the surface from a borehole, rainwater tank or well.
The main
types of hand pumps we offer are the India Mark II, the India Mark III, and the
Afridev deep-well (30 - 40 m deep) pumps. Village Level Operation and
Maintenance (VLOM) refer to low maintenance hand pumps which can be maintained
at a village level, intended to provide reliable long-term service.
Some of
the features of Aakash international manufactured hand pumps are:
Aakash International hand
pump so easy to use, a child can pump up to 5 gallons per minute.
Aakash International hand
water pump so durable, it has a 50-year lifespan.
Aakash International hand
water is so affordable, you can install it anywhere you need safe drinking
water.
