Playpump

Thanks to Maria for suggesting we check out Playpumps :)

"HOW PLAYPUMPS WORKS

While children have fun spinning on the PlayPump merry-go-round, clean water is pumped from underground into a 2,500-liter tank, standing seven meters above the ground.

A simple tap (5) makes it easy for adults and children to draw water. Excess water is diverted from the storage tank back down into the borehole.

The water storage tank provides a rare opportunity to advertise in outlaying communities. All four sides of the tank are leased as billboards, with two sides for consumer advertising and the other two sides for health and educational messages. The revenue generated by this unique model pays for pump maintenance.

The design of the PlayPump water system makes it highly effective, easy to operate and very economical, keeping costs and maintenance to an absolute minimum.

Capable of producing up to 1,400 liters of water per hour at 16 rpm from a depth of 40 meters, it is effective up to a depth of 100 meters.

As part of Water For People’s integration of PlayPumps technology into its portfolio of community water options, we will modify the system and its operation to fit the needs of local communities and improve sustainability. This includes investing resources in catalyzing local entrepreneurs to service the systems, as well as reducing tank height, keeping potential advertising revenue in the community, etc."

From http://www.waterforpeople.org/extras/playpumps/how-playpumps-works.html