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Pipeline Extension from Wellhead to

Hand Pumps in Villages


This technical briefing note looks at the criteria for selecting Pipeline Extension from Wellhead to Hand Pumps
in Villages in all settings (e.g. early recovery, recovery, rehabilitation, development) except first phase
response, including its construction, operation and maintenance

Abstract
supply option. It is therefore, rural community
mostly prefer to have hand pumps rather than
A simple pipeline extension from a wellhead to other water supply technology.
hand-pumps in selected villages ensures easy
access to adequate and safe water among To keep this in mind, Pipeline Extension from
targeted households. A traditional borehole Wellhead to Hand Pumps in Villages concept
(dia 1.5 inch pvc pipes and filter) is is introduced in saline and arsenic prone
constructed at suitable aquifer location. 1.25 locations. The key differences between
inch dia pvc coil pipelines are then extended traditional and this concept is
from the head of the borehole pipe and Hand pump is always attached to the
attached to the hand pump. A simple non- extension pipeline instead to well pipe
return valve is placed in-between the top of head.
the well-pipe and the extension pipeline to Borehole/well pipe is installed within a
ensure water storage inside the well-pipe and distance of 500m to 1,500m at suitable
extension pipe. The entire extension pipeline is aquifer location instead of directly
placed into the trench and buried with soil. A connecting to the well-head in the village.
proper sanitary platform along with waste An additional non-return valve is placed on
water drainage system is constructed top of the well pipe head, while no non-
surrounding the hand-pump. return valve is used with traditional
concept.
This technology not only ensures adequate With new concept, both well pipe and
and safe water for the targeted community but extension pipeline is mandatory to bring
also reduces travel distance and water water from borehole while with traditional
collection time primarily for women and concept only well pipe is required.
adolescent girls. It also ensures their privacy & Complete installation cost for new concept
dignity and allows them to spend more time to is much higher compared to traditional
work with their partners. A single system can concept.
provide adequate and safe drinking and
cooking water for 140 or more individuals. The
technology is feasible in the villages where The technology
underground aquifers are highly contaminated The complete technology consists of major
with saline and arsenic, and surface water is four components, such as
not available or available but not in usable The borehole which is equipped with PVC
condition. pipes and filters that is lowered into the
borehole.

The concept Normally


1.5 inch
The traditional hand pump installation concept dia pvc
is to attach the hand pump directly to the pipes and
head of the borehole/well pipe. This concept is filters are
widely used around the world and only used for
feasible where suitable aquifer is available the
within the target village locations. Hand pump constructio
technology is known as affordable, acceptable n of well pipe. The borehole is constructed
by all, easy to operate & maintain, at suitable aquifer depth within the
comparatively low-cost and sustainable water distance of 500m to 1,500m from a

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village. Skilled labour is required for the fabricated Pakistani hand pump are
construction of quality borehole. Local skill exposed to the surface.
labour is always preferred as they are well Sanitary platform is equipped with 4
aware about the local context. feet x 5
The extension pipeline is placed in- feet or 5
between well pipe and pump head. One feet x 6
end of the feet
extension (rectangula
pipeline is r) or 5-6
connected feet dia
to the (circular)
wellhead cement
through a concrete (CC) or reinforce cement
non- concrete
return (RCC)
valve and the other end is connected to platform
the bottom of the hand pump. Normally , a
1.25 inch dia pvc coil pipes are used as waste
extension pipeline. A 12 inch wide and 12- water
24 inch deep (depend on the local drainage
situatio system
n) and a
trench soak way.
is dug
from After successful construction of borehole at
well suitable aquifer depth:
pipe to well pipes & filter are lowered into the
pump borehole and fixed with proper sand
head packing,
where a non-return valve on the top head of well
the extension pipelines are laid & buried pipe is fixed,
with soil. Un-skilled labour can be used to extension pipelines are placed in-between
perform this work with close supervision well pipe and pump head,
and monitoring of a technically skilled finally pump head is attached with the
person. extension pipeline to extract water from
Hand pump head consist of foot-valve borehole.
assembly, piston assembly with handle
and pump head cylinder. Extension This technology works as suction mode and is
pipelines are connected to the bottom of feasible up to 7m depth of static (standing)
the pump head through a 1-2 feet long GI ground water level condition. It can produce
pipe. Traditional # 4 or # 6 cast iron 0.3 litres per second of clean water with a
pump head is widely used. Sometimes depth of 3-4m of static (standing) ground
locally fabricated hand pump head is also water level.
used for
the same
purpose. In The costs
case of #4 Complete installation cost depends on
or #6 cast borehole depth, length of extension pipelines,
iron hand geo-physical condition (level or un-even) and
pump, type of hand pump head. Average complete
entire installation cost in Pakistan (Thatta district of
pump head Hyderabad) is GBP 275-300 with 50 feet well
body is depth, 1,200 feet extension pipelines and #6
placed on cast iron or locally made hand pump head.
top of the
ground Although there is no routine running and
level while only 3 feet of the locally maintenance cost involved but there will be

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definite maintenance cost incurred in future technology. There were around 5 systems
related to replacement of piston cup constructed during Aila response programme
seal/washer, foot/check valve, handle, nuts & in the affected areas.
bolts of the hand pump head. A minor
maintenance cost will also be incurred for the
repairing of sanitary platform, drainage system Context
and soak way pit. Thatta district is a coastal area that is prone to
cyclone and flood. Underground shallow

Handing over
aquifer is highly contaminated with salinity.
Deep aquifers are yet to be explored. Surface
A single hand pump can provide adequate and water is also contaminated/ polluted with
safe water up to 140-150 individuals. saline water due to the super flood in August
2010.
Before handing over a hand pump to the
users, water quality test with numbers of Therefore, clean water scarcity is acute in
parameters e.g. arsenic, chloride, iron, these villages. Sweet water aquifer is not
turbidity, pH, conductivity etc is performed. readily available right in the villages or nearby,
Test results are shared with users in order to but there are few pockets (e.g. along with
make them aware about the hazards, possible irrigation canal where sweet water is flowing
risk and effect of these chemical round the year) which can be found in distant.
contaminations (if any). These irrigation canals are normally 500m to
2,000m distant away from villages.
A practical training on operation and
maintenance is provided to the selected Before introducing this technology, villagers
caretakers. These caretakers are fully especially women and adolescent girls had to
equipped with a set of necessary tools. travel long distances to collect sweet water
(not safe) from these canals. They spent
Initiative is also taken to ignite users for around 3-4 hours in a day to collect water for
raising funds that will be utilized for future meeting their daily needs.
operation & maintenance.

Achievement
Field testing Through introducing this technology, several
The technology was introduced in late 2010 in social and technological obstacles have been
Thatta district of Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan overcome. These are as follows
by Laar Humanitarian Development ensure access to sustainable, adequate
Programme (LHDP), a local NGO with technical and safe water option nearby within short
support of Oxfam GB flood response PH team. distance
Around 220 hand pumps have been installed more privacy is ensured for the women
in this area during November 2010 February and adolescent girls
2011, under emergency flood response saves water collection time that can be
programme. Average borehole depth of these spent on other livelihood activities
hand pumps varies from 40-50 feet and ensure adequate and safe drinking water
distance of the borehole from the village is especially for women and adolescent girls
between 500m 1,500m. More hand pumps
are planned to be installed in the same area in The technology can be adopted in similar
early recovery programme, March 2011 context with minor modification (if needed)
onward. based on local context.

In the year of 2009 in Bangladesh, during


cyclone Aila response programme in coastal Future initiatives
areas, nearly similar technology was Though this technology is successfully bringing
introduced. With this technology, 3-4 hand water from a borehole located at 1,200 feet
pumps were connected to a single wellhead distance but its optimum capacity is yet to be
pipe using around 400 feet long extension explored.
pipelines. 1.5 inch dia well pipes, filters and
extension pipelines were used for this

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Only one non-return valve is used however it
is not known whether one or more non-return Further information
valve is required when increasing the length of Abdus Sobhan, HSP-PHE, Oxfam GB. E-mail:
extension pipeline. asobhan@oxfam.org.uk

Presently dia 1.5 inch well pipe and dia 1.25 Qasim Barech, PHP Coordinator, Oxfam GB
inch extension pipeline is used but the most Pakistan. E-mail: Mbarech@oxfam.org.uk
favourable size for greater output or multiple
connections is not found yet. Sajjad Akbar, PHE Coordinator, Oxfam GB
Currently single extension pipeline is Pakistan. E-mail: sakbar@oxfam.org.uk
connected to the wellhead while for multiple
connections of extension pipeline and hand Nisar Shah, WASH Coordinator, Asia Region.
pump in different villages is yet to be E-mail: nshah@oxfam.org.uk
discovered.
Golam Morshed, PHP Coordinator, Oxfam GB

Layout Bangladesh. E-mail: gmorshed@oxfam.org.uk

Rick Bauer, Engineering Adviser - Water,


Sanitation & Shelter, Humanitarian
Department, Oxfam GB, Oxford, UK. E-mail:
rbauer@oxfam.org.uk

Andy Bastable, PHE Coordinator,


Humanitarian Department, Oxfam GB, Oxford,
UK. E-mail: abastable@oxfam.org.uk

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