Making the plan of this project was difficult since you had to look at it from several different aspects. To complete the plan you need to decide on the following:
· The location of where you want to build the pump
· The type of pump that you will use
· How deep the well will be built until it reaches water
· How maintenance will work if something happens to the pump
· Where you will purchase this water pump from
· What materials it will take to get the whole thing built and working
· How much will transportation cost
· How much will the materials cost
· How much will labor cost
· How to fundraise money to cover the expenses
Once you realize all of the different problems you have to solve to make this detailed plan work you will need to begin to make decisions. It was decided that our first water pump would be built in Bofel, Senegal since it is a rural area with limited water resources. The type of water pump used will be a hand pump and the well will be about 200ft to 250ft deep. Since it is a hand pump it shouldn’t need much maintenance however every five years it should be inspected and cleaned as well as replaced if found necessary.
The local villagers of Bofel will go through a course on how to safely use the pump without damaging it and how to fix any minor mishaps that could occur. The water pump can be purchased in many different locations as well as over the Internet and they are all roughly around the same price of $1,500 - $6,000 USD. To install a water pump you will need to hire a team that has their own machinery such as a drill to dig the well and cement and a steel pipe to reinforce the well so that it wont collapse. |
| This is a photograph of a man installing a new hand pump. |
