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'''The BluePump ''' is an extreamly reliable community handpump, with a high water output, light to use, that can lift water from 1 to 100m deep. It is easy to install by 2 persons up to 100m deep without specific tools and can be maintained locally at very low costs. Especially the reliability and low-cost operation makes the Dutch BluePump the most appropriate handpump for community water supply.
''''''The BluePump ''' concept ''' was originally developed in 2003 by the staff of the Rural Water Development (RWD) Program of the Diocese of Ngong and Kisii in Kenya under coordination of the Director of the RWD Program Paul van Beers.
The RWD Program was one of the largest water programs in Kenya. The program created over 1.500 water points (boreholes, dugwells and protected springs), 300 rainwater harvesting systems and over 16.000 latrines in Western Kenya.
By 2004 the Dutch funded RWD program finally stopped, but Paul van Beers continued to developed and test the concept of the BluePump in several African countries, starting in Angola in 2005. The BluePump has reached it final design in 2010 and is now considered to be the most versatile and reliable handpump on the market, especifically suitable for boreholes with deeper waterlevels, up to 100m. deep.
One of the major problems of standard VLOM handpump are the many breakdowns, often resulting in abandoning of the handpump. The main problem identified is the overall fragile design of these pump and spare parts that cannot withstand the heavy daily burden of community use. Especially the rubber seal of the piston that needed to be replaced from time to time is a major headache. The BluePump on the contrary, has '''a maintenance free pump system without rubber seals.'''
The BluePump design is owned and hosted by the FairWater Foundation who supervises the production and monitoring the performance in the field. FairWater has an active R&D program to update and improve the design whenever needed. In case of the unlikely event of malfunctions or technical problems, parts are replaced at no cost by FairWater's main distributor BOODE B.V. in the Netherlands.
For more information about the FairWater BluePump contact '''FairWater Foundation on www.fairwater.org'''
