TAF Pilot Assessment by KNUST, TREND and WaterAid Ghana
The rope pump is a hand operated water lifting device made of locally available materials. It uses washers threaded on a rope to lift water inside a pipe to the surface. The rope is moved by rotation of a wheel. The rope pump costs between 75-80% less than the standard pumps currently used in Ghana. It was first introduced on a pilot basis by CWSA in 2000 in Western, Greater Accra, the Northern and Upper East regions.
Recommendations
The following recommendations can be made for the sustainability and scalability of the rope pump:
- If the rope pump is to be scaled up, its suitability for use on boreholes, in addition to shallow wells, needs to be better understood. It should also be trialled with smaller numbers of users at household level or in clusters of households.
- Promoters need to clearly specify the maximum lift of the pump so its viability in different groundwater conditions can be better understood.
- The rope pump needs to be owned by a recognised person or body who is ready to champion its approval and standardisation (all approved handpumps are fitted on a standardised footing in Ghana).
- The capacity of producers to further improve upon, promote and market the technology must be built. To aid this, technical information on the rope pump must be compiled.
[TAF] Technology Applicability Framework 