Community Management Potential of the India Mark III hand pump

The India Mark III Hand Pumps are sturdy and robust pumps, with conventional action lever, that can be installed in shallow to medium-deep wells. The pump is designed for heavy-duty use and can serve village communities of up to 300 people. The configuration of this pump is very similar to the India Mark II, except the down-hole components, which were slightly changed and modified to make the hand pump more suited to village level operation and maintenance, with simpler tools and lesser cost of maintenance. The most decisive modification was the open-top cylinder that allows for the removal of the plunger and foot valve without the extraction of the cylinder and rising main.

The pump can be installed in a borehole or a dug well. The maximum recommended lift for the India Mark III is 30 m. Apart from the standard 63.5 mm configuration, there exists a version with a Ø50 mm cylinder size for lifts of up to 50 m. The pump head, handle, water tank, pump stand, and pump rods are made of galvanized steel, rising main of galvanized GI pipe, pump cylinder of cast iron/brass, plunger and foot valve of brass. This pump is not corrosion resistant and this limits its use to areas with suitable water conditions (pH value<6.5). It delivers a maximum stroke length of 125mm and the water discharge ranges from 0.8 to 1.8 cubic meters per hour, depending on the head dimensions, which range from 30m to 10m. The Cylinders are available in Ø50 mm and Ø62.5 mm. All the above-ground components of the pump can be locally manufactured, however, the other components require a high degree of quality control check while importing, to ensure reliable operation. The cylinder can be installed and repaired using simple tools, which allows for hassle-free repairs by trained locals, including women. 

The India Mark III hand pumps manufactured at Aakash International offer optimum quality through excellent craftsmanship and stringent adherence to industry standards. The raw materials required to build these products are acquired from trusted industry vendors and are integrated with advanced working mechanisms. Apart from that, strict quality control methods are followed during the manufacturing of these products, which ensures that only the best quality reaches the customers, at modest and affordable prices. Additionally, the pump is available in two variations- 50mm OTC and 65mm OTC, which differ in the dimensions of the riser pipes. Both these variations can be installed in a borehole of up to 45m. Also, comprehensive and detailed user manuals along with tool kits are provided along with the product to ensure hassle-free and easy installation, besides smooth repairs.

Exceptional features of the Extra Deep Well Hand Pump

Machinery is designed to make people’s lives easier. So it is almost arbitrary that it is designed keeping in mind the ever-dynamic conditions and needs of people. The India Mark II extra deep well hand pump, designed with this thought, is a conventional lever action hand pump designed for lifting water from extra deep sources, i.e. where the static water level is deeper than usual, and eliminates the use of conventional wells. This requires these pumps to be sturdy and strongly built.  The maximum recommended lift for these pumps is 80 m. Since the installation and maintenance of these pumps require special skills and tool sets, which exceed the ability of the village caretakers, they are not considered to be VLOM (village level operation and management) pumps. However, specifically trained area mechanics are available to install and maintain these pumps.

The India Mark II extra deep well hand pump is a modified version of the India Mark II, better suited for deeper static water levels. The down-hole components consist of a brass lined cast iron cylinder and a brass plunger, which has a triple cup seal of Nitrite rubber. The rising main is of Ø 32 mm (1 ¼”) GI pipe and the pump rods are of galvanized steel with M 12 connectors.  It has a stroke length of 10 mm that delivers a water discharge of 12 liters per minute, at 40 strokes, which is capable of serving hygienic drinking water to small village communities of up to 200 people, with 10-15 households.

The handle of the extra deep well hand pump has a bigger cross section and tee-bar attachments with extra weight, which helps in reducing the manual effort while pumping. Since the water is lifted from a deeper than usual level, it is imperative that extra effort would be required to draw it out. But the counter weights attached to the handle assist in the movement of the handle while in use, and thus reduce the manual effort to a minimal. The number of counter weights varies in accord with the exact depth at which the cylinder has been installed. No weight is required for 50-60 m depth, one weight for 60-70 m depth, two weights for 70-80 m depth and three weights for 80-90 m depth. The pump head, handle, water tank, pump stand and pump rods are made of galvanized steel, rising main of galvanized GI pipe, pump cylinder cast of iron or brass, and plunger and foot valve of brass. This pump does not have a corrosion resistant quality and should advisably not be used in areas with aggressive water (pH value < 6.5).

The India Mark II extra deep well hand pumps manufactured at Aakash International offer optimum quality through excellent craftsmanship and stringent adherence to industry standards. The raw materials required to build these products are acquired from trusted industry vendors, and are integrated with advanced working mechanisms. Apart from that, strict quality control methods are followed during the manufacturing of these products, which ensures that only the best quality reaches the customers, at modest and affordable prices.