Challenge
There are hundreds of thousands of waterless upland villages and farms in the world that lack drinking, household, or irrigation water despite having ‘nearby’ lower situated sources. Absence of drinking water creates tremendous challenges especially for women, ranging from health, sanitation, spending time and money fetching water, children skipping classes, to the inability to do laundry or grow vegetables. Farmers face risks in farming without irrigation and are unable to grow a second crop or diversify.
Description
The AIDFI solution is a crossbreed model between expensive imported models and many inferior DIY hydraulic ram pump models. Made from locally available materials, the robust and efficient AIDFI model comes in a holistic package, including training for local technicians in operation, repair, and maintenance. Installed mainly in upland villages, water associations are set up, registered, and trained to ensure operation, monitored by an App. The system also includes newly developed mechanical water kiosks, ensuring fair distribution and collection of water fees.
Outcomes
AIDFI manufactured and installed over 1100 ram pumps in 580 upland villages, benefiting 280,000 people. Independent installation teams were trained in the Philippines, and technology transfer was completed to Afghanistan, Nepal, Colombia, and Mexico.
