How to Make and Use the Treadle Irrigation Pump

The treadle irrigation pump is able to lift up to 7000 litres of water per hour using the power of the human body, and can be locally made at low cost in small-scale metalworking shops. Its acceptance in Bangladesh, where it was first developed in 1984, is extraordinary, with over 500,000 pumps estimated now to be in use. The current design offered in this manual has evolved from the Bangladesh original into a fully portable pump with both lift and pressure capacity and is especially appropriate to situations where soils are permeable, and water cannot easily be distributed through channels. The manual is intended to be read primarily by organizations engaged in economic development activities which have a particular expertise in technology transfer; it is not intended just as a step-by-step guide for the manufacturer (although it can be used in this way).

Author Biography

Carl Bielenberg, inventor and philanthropist, is the founder of the “Better World Workshop” based in East Calais, Vermont. Carl is well-known in the development community as the creator of a hand-operated oilseed press and foot-operated irrigation pump, and is an expert in sustainable energy and power-generation systems. He designed the VitaGoat boiler and is currently designing a vegetable and fruit dryer to run off the same boiler.