National Geographic Feature on PlayPump Water Systems

National Geographic visits a PlayPump water system. See how the power of play can bring water to the world. Video courtesy of National Geographic.

• Category

  Science & Technology

[aznlilboiz]

why not windmill?

[TheShinyDemon]

A pretty good idea... I was thinking "Wouldnt the children get bored of spinning that wheel..?"

but what else are they going to do, really? Absolutely no means for offense or racism or anything there, just a sad observation, really. No electricity... I cant even imagine such a world.

[OHFrobertkee]

Check the Internet. Playpump is a disaster and has been stopped. The children does not pay nd the women said t took more energy than the low cost handpump. Pllaypump csts $14,000 while normal handpump is a couple f hundred. And hard to repair the Playpump. There are no spares readily available. someone is making a nice profit from this Playpump project

[transcendtient]

"I just wanted to haaaness the children's laughter."

[KWCSeamus]

hello

[FairWater Africa]

FairWater appreciates this work and invites you to team up with us to introduce the Durable BluePump in your water projects!

1 out of 3 handpumps is disfunctional after a few years due to maintenance problems and people are again without water!

To avoid this drama and wasted funds, FairWater Foundation promotes the Dutch BluePump, reliable, easy and cheap to maintain.

Paul van Beers

FairWater-org

[rogerthatrocks]

there was another special on this "great idea" of play pumps, where they came back a year later to find the women lugging water back from their dirty creek again because the children lost interest in the play pump and the men said it was too much work for them to push it. thats why they had no well in the first place...zero initiative. you can lead a monkey to water, but it doesn't mean he'll pump it.

[cupcakecnc]

That teacher was a african queen. Shit!!!!

[austrorus]

aznlilboiz,

it is not always windy in africa, also you need a big 'windmill' and the blades have to be rotated so they can utilize the lightest breeze. and that can not be managed by a single woman or a bunch of kids.

who on top of it get some fun out of it to get clean water...

now if 'we' just could convince NESTLE, the biggest seller/gouger on price, of fresh water, to put up their ads on the metal sides of the play pump and sponsor a few 1000 of these really cheap and effective things.

[zafrenchtoast]

. .." and I observed some ladies standing next to a windmill waiting for the wind to blow, because the concrete reservoir at the bottom of the windmill was cracked and broken. And it wouldn’t hold water. And we were there for a couple days. And when we came back and these ladies were still there waiting for the wind to blow. And I thought, “that’s quite pathetic.”

google Trevor Field black & white for the article

[dzgfdg]

this system fails after a few months

[skyewalker]

Because when there is no wind there is no water.