The Nicaraguan rope pumpby Peter Sandiford, Hans Alberts, Juan Guillermo Orozco,and Albert GorterDespite numerous setbacks, the rope pump'sdevelopment in Nicaragua has finally fulfilled itspromoters' expectations. Even pumps installedduring an emergency in an area without accessto spare parts are still working.

The Nicaraguan rope pump has overcome numerous setbacks and is now apopular and reliable technology.

ALTHOUGH THE FIRST rope-and-washer pumps appear to have beenintroduced into Nicaragua about 20years ago, it was not until 1983 that aBelgian technician named JanHaemhouts seriously began to developthe rope pump in Nicaragua. He hadbeen involved with a peasant self-development project in Haiti in whichthe rope pump was one component,but the political situation there finallymade further work impossible and heleft the country. He believed that therope pump, a technology that could beproduced by peasants themselves,could serve as a catalyst around whichthe people could organize themselvesto resolve their problems and improvetheir lives. His experience in Haiti,however, had convinced him that sucha process could only be successfulwhen set within a supportive politicalenvironment.

He turned instead to revolutionaryNicaragua, which at the time seemedto be the ideal setting to try out theseideas. He felt that before the rope pumpcould gain acceptance it needed to bedeveloped to a stage where it could bepresented as a highly reliable yetinexpensive water supply - in otherwords, as an appropriate technology.The development of the rope pumpbegan in Nicaragua at the AppropriateTechnology Research Centre of theAgrarian Reform Institute (CIT A-INRA). CITA-INRA brought togetherprofessionals who were enthusiasti-cally promoting a whole host oftechnologies including biogas, wind-mills for both electricity generationand water pumping, and hydraulicrams, and put them to work on the ropepump. Nicaraguan versions of the ropepumps evolved and a major effort was

Readers interested in more information shouldcontact Hans Alberts. Peter Sandiford is in theInternational Health Division, Liverpool Schoolof Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place,Liverpool L3 5QA, UK; Hans Alberts and AlbertGorter are at Bombas de Mecate S.A., ApartadoPostal 3352, Managua, Nicaragua; and JuanGuillermo Orozco is at UNDP, Managua,Nicaragua.

made to demonstrate that peasantswere both interested enough and capa-ble of building the pumps themselves.Training materials, including a videoand a cartoon booklet, were producedat this time.

Despite some notable successes,CITA-INRA was disbanded in 1985,as civil war began to take its toll on thecountry's fragile economy. By that

stage serious limitations had becomeevident. Too much effort had been putinto the scientific development oftechnologies, while insufficient atten-tion had been given to their dissemina-tion within the ministries and theinstitutions responsible for their appli-cation on a large scale. Nevertheless,the experience in CITA-INRA haddemonstrated the acceptability of therope pump within the Nicaraguanpeasantry, and those who had beeninvolved with it from the early stagescontinued to seek opportunities for itsfurther promotion as a component ofthe rural development projects beingundertaken at that time.

The fact that rope pumps are stillbeing made by local carpenters in the

WATERLINES VOL. 11 NO.3 JANUARY 1993 27

Try againA significant turning point in thefortunes of the rope pump took placein 1987. Juan Guillermo Orozco, aColombian sanitary engineer workingas a consultant in the recently estab-lished Environmental Engineering Pro-gramme (INGAM) of the NationalEngineering University, together withHaemhouts, was looking for opportu-nities to continue to promote the ropepump in a setting without the problemsof war and institutional politics whichhad plagued the project in CITA-INRA. They started work again with asmall family-based co-operative inMonte Fresco, a village some 30kmfrom the capital, Managua. The settingappeared to be perfect - the San Joseco-operative had been founded bypeasants who did not have sufficientland to work on, and who had thereforetaken to producing brooms, brushes,and other domestic articles. The co-operative had some equipment andstaff and it seemed that, with a littletraining and investment, it could pro-duce rope pumps and perhaps even

Pipe supports driveninto well wall every

2 metres

-,'.'..

:.~

Outlet spout(see detail, Figur~ 2)

.',t. .•.> ".. ., "

'.•

,".:;

:.

.~!: Water.:' level

~~-y-,

Well wall

:.

Well slab with hole--

Pump invertical well

This one rope pump provides more than enough water for this Nicaraguan family,area surrounding the CIT A-centre,without any institutional promotionsince 1985, demonstrates the impactof those activities during that period.An accurate estimate is impossible toobtain because the pumps were in-stalled all over Nicaragua and madeby different people, but well over ahundred pumps must have been pro-duced by these artisans.

Figure 1, A typical design for a rope pump for use in a vertical well. (Figures1 to 4 are from How to make a rope-and-washer pump, IT Publications, 1990.)

28 WATERLINES VOL.11 NO.3 JANUARY 1993

Figure 2. If used in a vertical lined well, the pump will need a suitable outletspout. If a prejormed spout is not available, this design can be used.

The rope pump can even be attached to a small engine if large quantities ofwater are needed.

recent improvements to the design.Unfortunately success does not al-

ways breed success. At this point, thereemerged a serious rift between thephilosophies of the two key protago-nists of the rope pump project: one sawa role for the university in providingtechnical assistance and an opportunityfor the environmental engineering stu-dents to learn from the practicalapplication of appropriate technolo-gies, while the other felt that technicalassistance was unnecessary and thatthe peasants themselves had sufficientinnovative ability to develop the pumpto its final stage. According to the latterview, the involvement of the studentswould only detract from potentialinnovation. While one felt that thefuture for the project lay in sellingpumps on a commercial basis, the otherthought that this would destroy thepotential of the rope pump to serve asa catalyst for peasant self-advance-ment. In the end, these philosophicaldifferences led to the complete col-lapse of the relationship between theSan Jose Co-operative and the Envi-ronmental Engineering Programme.

to container

Outlet spout

those pumps were still functioningperfectly two years after their installa-tion, despite the fact that no backuphad been provided and that the supplyof replacement parts to the isolatedAtlantic coast is notoriously difficult.The causes of failure in those that didbreak down have now been identifiedand have been resolved in the more

Rubber strips tiedaround pipe aboveand below board

Rope coming out ofpipe and passingover pullev

ttOcm

Work under pressureIt did so with considerable success.Interestingly, at least 75 per cent of

realize Haemhouts' VISIOnof peasantself-advancement. The idea was thatthe rope pump would be just one,though the first, of several tech-nologies which would be developedand then produced on a larger scale inthe co-operative.

Seeding finance of about $10 000was obtained from the governments ofNew Zealand and Holland. The inten-tion was to use this money to develop,produce, and install one thousandpumps in the hand-dug wells in thesurrounding area. Once built, it wouldbe possible to study and perfect thepump.

The project quickly made somesignificant advances. In the initialstage a number of technical improve-ments were made to the prototypepumps, effectively transforming themfrom a 'Heath Robinson' endeavourinto a truly appropriate technology,although still lacking in importantrespects. The project was starting tostagnate in much the same way that ithad in CITA-INRA, however - over50 prototypes had been made withoutanyone daring to take the plunge andstart production on a commercial scale.

It was an ill wind, however, thatblew good fortune to the project. InSeptember 1988 hurricane Juana struckNicaragua, devastating much of theAtlantic coast of the country. A totalof about 200 rope pumps were sold tothe international organizations whichwere providing emergency aid to thevictims of the disaster on the easternseaboard. For the first time, the co-operative was forced to enter intoproduction of the rope pump on asignificant scale.

WATERLINES VOL.lI NO.3 JANUARY 1993 29

Figure 3. The rope pump can he used to deliver water for irrigation to r.?arbyfields.

Water level

SOmm pvc pipe

I (3 - 6 metres long)Can lilt over 6 metres withone person pumping

Nylon rope with lyre rubberwashers at 1 metre spacing pulledup through pipe by pulley

~~ .. '

Openwater hole

New supportersBefore that took place, however, bothUNICEF and a Dutch volunteer or-ganization had seen the potential suc-cess of the rope pump project. TheDutch group, who were undertaking awater and sanitation development pro-ject in one of the regions of Nicaragua,opted to use the rope pumps rather thanthe imported handpumps that they hadoriginally intended to use. In thisproject the pumps were to be installedon communal wells, and the organiza-tion felt it important to ensure thatmicrobiological quality was adequate.They therefore focused on ways toprevent the introduction of externalcontaminants through, for example, theuse of well-head covers.

Meanwhile, UNICEF planned a newproject which was to be executed bythe Environmental Engineering Pro-gramme. The rope pump was initiallya key component of this project, butin time it was relegated to an increas-ingly peripheral role as it was consid-ered inappropriate for a university tobe involved in industrial production.The university's role was restricted toone of determining guidelines andproducing prototypes.

:.;:.. ...:.;. .-,;.; ....•... :,~;::. ::.' :.;;'~"::..::,.;. . .;10· •••• ".... _.

. Pipe takes waterto crops

Rope-and-washer pumpPrinciple of operation

By this stage the co-operative wasno longer producing rope pumps - ithad never developed the skills tomarket the pump - and the universityhad effectively lost interest in workingwith the co-operative. Formal agree-ments between the co-operative andthe university had failed to provide anadequate foundation for further work.Neither the co-operative nor the uni-versity had the skills required tomarket the pump effectively, to pro-vide the backup services, or to managethe resources involved in production.

Unable to rely on the continuedsupply of the rope pumps, the INGAM/UNICEF project decided in early 1990to discontinue promoting the pump andto concentrate on their new role indeveloping policy guidelines. This lefttwo rope pump promoters without jobsand a number of disgruntled familiesin the area who had been promisedrope pumps by the UNICEF/INGAMproject.

In February 1990 an historic meet-ing took place between the two pumppromoters, the UNICEF/lNGAM'sproject administrator (who had alsobeen laid off), and a Dutch physicistwho had previously worked in Nicara-gua producing wind-driven water

pumps. The feeling which pervadedthis meeting was 'let's do it ourselves- independently of any bureaucracy'.

Here started what became, in August1992, Bombas de Mecate S.A. (RopePumps Ltd), a small cottage industryproducing rope pumps for the Nicara-guan population. Beginning on a smallscale it placed a heavy emphasis in theinitial stage on promoting the pump,taking advantage of the various fairsand exhibitions about the country todemonstrate its worth and therebyobtain sales. Advertisements in news-papers and on the radio were also used.Now it employs a dozen workers andinstalls on average 60 rope pumps eachmonth. As the pump became betterknown, the need for active marketingdiminished and most sales are cur-rently derived from the recommenda-tions of other pump owners. Sales haveincreased steadily and Bombas deMecate is now operating commerciallywithout any external subsidies. Thereare plans to establish branches indifferent parts of the country andperhaps even outside of Nicaragua.The Dutch group has also had somesuccess. Following the example ofBombas de Mecate, they have startedto sell the pumps on a commercialbasis. Some of the components of theirrope pumps are sold to them byBombas de Mecate.

So what are the lessons from thisstory? Why has the rope pump provedsuch a successful technology whileother hand pumps have been suchdismal failures? Why has the ropepump so stubbornly re-emerged fromthe institutional mires which havethreatened to sink it? Surely this is thetest of a truly appropriate technology- one which overcomes the inevitableobstacles which are placed in its path.The ease of operation, low cost,simplicity of maintenance, ready avail-ability of spares, and high efficiencyare undoubtedly important factors.They have perhaps ensured that therope pump did not fade into obscurityin Nicaragua .•

2CuI • hole In thowuh ••• and pushlhowuheroontolhoropo

•Figure 4. Tips for constructing your own rope-and-washer pump.

30 WATERLINES VOL.lI NO.3 JANUARY 1993