Bamboo Treadle pump
Designer: Gunnar Barnes of Rangpur/Dinajpur Rural Service and International Development Enterprises (IDE) Nepal
Manufacturer: Numerous small and medium-sized local workshops
Nepal and Bangladesh, 2006
Metal, plastic, bamboo
Dimensions: 5’h x 2.5’w x 7’d
In use in: Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Myanmar, Cambodia, Zambia
The Bamboo Treadle Pump allows poor farmers to access groundwater during the dry season. The treadles and support structure are made of bamboo or other inexpensive, locally available materials. The pump, which consists of two metal cylinders with pistons that are operated by a natural walking motion on two treadles, can be manufactured locally by metalworking shops. Over 1.7 million have been sold in Bangladesh and elsewhere, generating $1.4 billion in net farmer income in Bangladesh alone.
