Sustaining handpumps in Africa: lessons from Zambia and Ghana

Between April and June 2002 field evaluations were conducted by WEDC in Zambia and Ghana as part of the DFID-funded research project ‘Guidelines for Sustainable Handpumps in Africa’. The purpose of these visits was to evaluate ‘successful’ handpump projects and determine what factors contribute to sustainability. The project literature review (Parry-Jones et al., 2001a) identified eight factors critical to sustainability, these were refined during the visits to the following six: Institutional and policy arrangements; Financing and cost recovery; Community and social aspects; Technology and the natural environment; Spare parts supply; Maintenance systems.