What happened to PlayPumps?

What happened to PlayPumps?

History. The PlayPump was invented in South Africa by Ronnie Stuiver, a borehole driller and engineer, who exhibited it at an agricultural fair in 1989. Later it was adopted by the Kenyan Government but was disbanded after it was proven to be ineffective.

Why did the PlayPump fail?

Problem was that it did not end up working out as planned. The PlayPumps needed to spin all day long in order to provide enough water for a community. That meant children and adults were no playing, but walking endlessly in circles to get the water out of the ground. The over-hyped idea failed spectacularly.

Where are PlayPumps?

Following a downturn in funding during the economic recession, PlayPumps activity reverted to its roots in South Africa. It continues to provide maintenance and support to existing pumps and new installations in needy communities.

Who created the PlayPump?

Trevor Field
Trevor Field invented the play pump, which is a playground merry-go-round that can produce enough water for up to 200,000 people.

How much does a PlayPump cost?

The cost to manufacture, install and maintain a PlayPump water system in South Africa is approximately $14,000. This includes the cost of locating and testing the groundwater, manufacturing and transporting the system, and training local crews on installation and maintenance.

When was PlayPump invented?

The PlayPump is a children’s roundabout that pumps water. The basic system was invented by water engineer Ronnie Stuiver in South Africa in 1989, and then modified and popularised by a former advertising executive, Trevor Field.

What are the benefits of the PlayPump?

Children develop social skills as they play and they are able to see the direct benefit of having fun, as water becomes available to them and their community. PlayPump systems do not have to be used by children. Even the elderly can spin the merry-go-round with ease.

How do play pumps work?

How does the PlayPump water system work? The PlayPump system operates much like a windmill. As children play and turn the merry-go-round, the rotation drives a mechanism to draw water from an underground well to a secure storage tank above ground. The stored water flows from a faucet with a simple turn of a handle.

How do pumps save energy?

  1. Maintenance. Inadequate maintenance lowers pump system efficiency, causes pumps to wear out more quickly and increases costs.
  2. Monitoring.
  3. Controls.
  4. Reduction of demand.
  5. More efficient pumps.
  6. Proper pump sizing.
  7. Multiple pumps for varying loads.
  8. Impeller trimming (or shaving sheaves)

Are Playpumps sustainable?

The PlayPump is intended to give children in South Africa a place to play and simultaneously provides their community with a much needed sustainable water source….PlayPump.

Part of JMC330 International Mass Communication
Type Project
Keywords Water supply
SDG Sustainable Development Goals SDG06 Clean water and sanitation

What went wrong with PlayPump?

The failure of PlayPump points to a huge problem in meeting water challenges—simply put, there is no panacea. Water problems are very complex and come in a multitude of flavors.

What is a PlayPump?

The PlayPump is a children’s roundabout that pumps water. The basic system was invented by water engineer Ronnie Stuiver in South Africa in 1989, and then modified and popularised by a former advertising executive, Trevor Field.

What happened to Mozambique’s PlayPumps?

The title of the Frontline story, “Troubled Water,” indicates that all didn’t go as planned with the PlayPump. As Frontline reports, dozens of PlayPumps in Mozambique sit idle, and in many villages, PlayPumps have been removed and hand pumps reinstalled.

How sustainable is the PlayPump?

The PlayPump’s promise of essential work accomplished through children’s play, and of ‘sustainability’ via its advertising-funded maintenance system, was highly attractive to the press and to funders, and images of the system proved remarkably effective in attracting support for the project internationally.

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