News

Construction starts on resilient drinking-water supply in Kitui, Kenya

15th, July, 2020

Construction work happening at the Impact Pumps - Fundifix site

We have started construction on our resilient groundwater pump for a drinking water supply in Kitui, Kenya. This project is in partnership with Fundifix and supported by Innovate UK and the Wellcome Trust. Background to the project It is common to see handpumps installed in rural communities to provide water for drinking and domestic use. Whilst it’s clear that handpumps have revolutionised access to water for millions of people, they are labour intensive, maintenance intensive and suffer from under-developed supply chains of labour and parts. Often, they are not well-maintained and it is estimated that around 1/4 of them don’t […]

Impact Pumps saves on electricity costs for rose farmer in Bangladesh

13th, May, 2020

A field of roses in Bangladesh irrigated by an Impact Pump

Monsur Ali owns a rose garden at Kumar Khoda near Dhaka, Bangladesh. Like many farmers, his livelihood is dependent on reliable and successful harvests. One essential ingredient to a farm like this is water and being in control of getting water to plants regularly. When we first met Monsur Ali he was using an electric pump to irrigate his farm. With near-universal availability of grid-electricity across the country this was an obvious choice, however, using electricity to pump water comes at a price. As part of our field-trials in different markets, Monsur Ali agreed to trial a FlexExtend with solar […]

The FlexExtend handles silt and salt with ease

20th, April, 2020

Example of sand and silt from an endurance test

Continuous field and endurance testing of Impact Pumps products is a key part of our design philosophy. We want to prove we have designed the FlexExtend to withstand the harsh conditions on rural farms. Sand, silt and salt are common in rural wells and it is important that pumps are built to be able to pump dirty water with ease. We have had a FlexExtend running on a silt/salt endurance test for over 5,000 hours (equivalent to three to five years) and counting. The set up involves a simple sedimentation tank filled with sand and silt which the pump must […]

FlexExtend clocks up 5000 hours on silt/salt endurance test

20th, April, 2020

Water pump endurance tests with sand and silt

The silt/salt endurance test of the FlexExtend has now clocked up 5000 hours and counting. In combination with a simple sedimentation tank, this pump has proven an ability to deliver clear water continuously and reliably from a sandy, silted well with high levels of mineral solutes. With demonstrated resilience, durability and longevity, the FlexExtend has shown it can work almost anywhere with minimal outages or failures: Fantastic news for farmers and community water applications in emerging markets! […]

The FlexExtend to serve 800 children and staff in Kisumu, Kenya

20th, March, 2020

Installing a water pump at a school near Kisumu Kenya

A FlexExtend has been installed at Kanyamedha Secondary School, in Kisumu, Western Kenya. It will serve 800 children and staff with water for cooking, cleaning, washing and vegetable garden irrigation: truly emphasising the impact the pump can have on community water applications. […]

The FlexExtend powers sprinklers to irrigate high-value horticulture

20th, January, 2020

Water pump installed at a farm to irrigate papaya

A FlexExtend has been installed at Mwenja’s Farm in Kiambu, Kenya, as a demonstration site close to the bi-annual GOGLA conference. The pump supplies an overhead tank that feeds sprinklers which irrigate papaya trees, as well as drip lines to serve a sweet potato crop. The combination of high value produce being served by an integrated solar irrigation solution augmented by the FlexExtend bodes well for this savvy farmer. […]

Impact Pumps to eradicate rural maintenance challenges in collaboration with FundiFix

20th, December, 2019

Dramatically reducing pump downtime with Impact Pumps and Fundifix

We are excited to announce that we will be expanding our reach in Kenya through a project in Kitui, Kenya. This project aims to provide a solution to in-field maintenance challenges common with hand-pumps and other submersible pumps. The problem One of the most frustrating problems in rural communities with hand-pumps or submersible pumps for water supply is when they go wrong. Retrieving a pump from a borehole and servicing it can leave you with a problem – several days with no pump and no easy way to access water. At Impact Pumps, we believe that things can be different […]

Endurance test clocks 5000 hours

18th, December, 2019

The first of our Impact Pump endurance test rigs, which has been running 24/7 since 2nd May 2019 has just passed the half-way point on its 10000 hour journey, representing 3 to 5 years of typical operation. The test will continue towards its 10000 hour (5 – 10 year) typical operation target due in July 2020. This has been achieved without any servicing or part changes to date. […]