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{{Language-box|english_link= Rope pump | french_link= Coming soon | spanish_link= Coming soon | hindi_link= Coming soon | malayalam_link= Coming soon | tamil_link= Coming soon | swahili_link=coming soon | korean_link= Coming soon | chinese_link=绳泵| indonesian_link= Coming soon | japanese_link= Coming soon }}
[[Image:Rope_pump_icon.png|right|80px]]
[[Image:RopePumpMozambique.JPG|thumb|right|200px|[[Rope pump| Rope pump]] on a borehole, made in a local workshop in Mozambique ]]
The modern Rope pump is a highly efficient and low cost pump, it can be produced with local materials and can be truly operated and maintained at a village level. The basic design has a wheel with a continuous loop of rope with pistons that fit with a small clearance in the pump pipe. The low end of this pipe is at the bottom of the well. By turning the wheel the rope passes up through the PVC pump pipe and pushes the water up. At the top end of the pump pipe, the diameter increases and the water comes out via a Tee piece.
The almost intuitive design is known by many names, including the paternoster (after the beaded prayer chain it resembles), Noria pump, liberation pump or chain-and-washer pump but all have the same pump principle. Evidence of this pump principle dates back as far as two thousand years, to feudal China <ref> Fraenkel, Peter, and Thake, Jeremy.
[http://www.washdoc.info/docsearch/title/118633 Water Lifting Devices, A handbook for users and choosers], 3rd ed. UK, Rugby: Intermediate Technology Publications Ltd, 2006.</ref>. The earliest report of the design in the west is cited <ref> Olsen, J. P. [httphttps://wwwutorontopress.mlahanas.decom/Booksus/GreekRomanMechanicalWaterLiftingDevices.html greek-and-roman-mechanical-water-lifting-devices-1 Greek & Roman Mechanical Water-Lifting Devices: The History of a Technology]. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 1984. </ref> as that illustrated by the Sienese early renaissance engineer, Tacolla, circa 1433 <ref> Tacolla, Mariano. ''De Ingeineis'', Liber Primus Leonis, Liber Secundis Draconis, Addenda. c. 1433, folio 80. </ref>, a copy of which is given in the figure to the right <ref>Weisbaden, Ludwig, ed. et al. [http://digital.library.cornell.edu/k/kmoddl/pdf/037_001.pdf Facsimile of De Ingeineis], Liber Primus Leonis, Liber Secundis Draconis, Addenda [online]. Germany: Satz Und Druck, 1984. [April 2009]</ref>. In the 1970 and 80s the basic design was adapted by numerous individuals, the most prominent of which were R. van Tijen of Demotech, J. Haemhouts <ref>Sandiford, Peter, et al. [http://www.washdoc.info/docsearch/title/116194 The Nicaraguan Rope-pump]. ''Waterlines'', January 1993, Vol. 11 (3).</ref> <ref> Lammerink, M.P. et al. [http://www.ircwash.org/resources/evaluation-report-nicaraguan-experiences-rope-pump-final-report EVALUATION REPORT NICARAGUAN EXPERIENCES WITH ROPE PUMP] The Netherlands: IRC, 1995. </ref> and R. Lambert <ref>Lambert, R. A. [http://www.washdoc.info/docsearch/title/110481 How to make a rope-and-washer pump]. London: Intermediate Technology Design Group, 1990.</ref>. They applied the simple design as a tool aimed at economic and social development. They took advantage of low cost and versatile modern plastics to produce the modern rope-pump design. They applied this pump as a homemade, low lift pump. However the early models did not really take off and a successful scaling up of the Rope pump only started in 1988 in Nicaragua where the pump was technically improved by Van Hemert of the organization SNV and Alberts of Bombas de mecate. They made it into a compact metal model fit for commercial sales, produced and sold by local private companies. V. Hemert and Alberts <ref>Alberts, J. H. [http://www.ircwash.org/sites/default/files/Alberts-2004-Rope.pdf The rope-pump - an example of technology transfer]. ''Waterlines'', January 2004, Vol. 22 (3), 22-25.</ref> Holtslag.
It was not considered by the users as a good community pump, although repairs were possible. Another disadvantage mentioned was that children found it difficult to pump (caused by too large of a pump pipe diameter) and sometimes got hurt when the handle security break system was not functioning. Due to lack of quality control the pumps did not have an anti-return system. This results in the handle turning back with a high speed due to the weight of the water in the riser pipe. In 2008, over 2000 simple Pole model Rope pumps for irrigation were installed near Blantyre made by the organization DAPP.
In 2012, a Water training centre (SMART Centre) at the Mzuzu University introduced the SHIPO model Rope pump. This centre, supported by Connect International, is now (in 2013) training local companies in manual well drilling and Rope pumps. A focus is on quality control via certification. After initial problems, now good quality pumps are produced and some 100 installed. [httphttps://www.mzuzusmartcentrefacebook.com /SMART.Centre.Mzuzu/ mzuzusmartcentreMzuzu Smart Centre].com]
Apart from this initiative, PumpAid has also been active in the Chimoio province installing Elephant Pumps which are also rope pumps.