Having worked in the water industry and pioneered developments in pumping technology, this project established by Current Pumps really strikes a chord with us all here at Retroflo. Current Pumps have designed a system that uses the constant current of water in a river or stream to drive a pump that can irrigate fields and provide water to communities that currently rely on carrying water by hand from source.

The pump technology is not new, in that it uses the energy of moving water to power the pump and builds on the concepts pioneered by Archimedes in ancient Greece and further refined in the 18th century by H.A. Wirtz in Switzerland. The new pumping system delivers an output of 4 L/minute, with a pumping head of 10 meters, based on a river with a flow of 1.0 m/s. This will provide enough water for 1000 sq. meters of drip irrigated vegetables in semi-arid climates.

The organisation are currently raising funds to begin the installation of 20 pumps in Niger, Africa, through 2014, with the future aim of rolling the programme out across the continent and establishing local affordable pump manufacturing centres. Watch the video below to find out more about the project, and visit http://currentpumps.com for more information or to offer support.