Page 29 - WATER SECTOR MAGAZINE VOLUME 3

CELEBRATING FAILURE:REMEMBERING THE PLAY-PUMP

Government, we are working with the
Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation
and Water Development and a private
company, EssEss Enterprise, to test a
modified version of Afridev hand-pump
which will, hopefully, replace the failed
Play-Pumps and maximize utilization of
the existing infrastructure, e.g. elevated
tanks, to service schools and clinics across
the country. We are calling it the Hi-Lift
Pump.

Learning from the Play-Pump, we are
not shoving this technology down
people’s throat with impassioned pleas
for unquestioning adoption. We are
taking baby steps to test the technology
in multiple environments to ascertain its
performance in those different contexts
before marketing it. Believe me, we are
learning very important lessons already
that are reshaping our assumptions about
the impact of new technology on an
existing socio-cultural context. It is a slow
and frustrating process, but it is necessary.
(R-L) Sudeep Batta from EssEss Enterprise, Prof. Robert Kalin from Strathclyde University and Muthi Nhlema from More of us need to do this!
BASEflow showcasing a Hi-Lift Pump at the 2017 World Water Day
But, despite good intentions, the water
where the onus for operating, maintaining and whatever other ‘crats there maybe–we sector, and how it works, becomes the very
and replacing water supply systems is are all responsible for the failure of the reason why water is not flowing. As our
shifting from government and NGOs to Play-Pump! fancy, “one size fits all”, technical solutions
communities–this technical flaw made the continue to break down, frustrated
Play-Pump unsustainable. As a sector, we don’t think things through communities remain, not just at risk of
• Conceptually the Play-Pump before implementation. We are very quick contracting life-threatening diseases, but
needed the play-energy of the children– to sign off on policies and strategies that also at risk of remaining in a deficit mode
meaning that the pump was dependent don’t take into consideration the impact of hopelessness, apathy and mistrust–a
on children spinning the merry-go-round of the changes we intend to make on the potent recipe for sluggish development in
to pump water up into an elevated tank. existing complexities of human nature the long term.
What the designers didn’t count on was or community life. We seek out quick-
that the children would have to pump fix solutions that offer short-term relief, The problem is not technology–it’s the
27 hours a day to meet the minimum but secrete even larger problems in the sector and how it works. If we don’t
standard of 25 liters per person per day. future. We jump on any bandwagon that stop for a moment and reflect critically
The Play-Pump only managed an average large NGOs and multilateral donors about the wider cycle of water-poverty
of 2 liters per child per day. Also, it turns push without asking: Can this idea, like and how our solutions, approaches and
out, children didn’t always want to play the Play-Pump, work for the Malawian strategies are impacting, either negatively
on the merry-go-round. This resulted in context? Will it be sustainable? What new or positively, on it in the longer term, then
the Play-Pump remaining idle, especially problems could this idea potentially create we are doomed to fail again and again–
during school holidays, which further because of its intrinsic nature/design? no matter how many lessons we learn or
culminated, over a short time, into how good our policy documents or ideas
breakdowns/complications due to dis-use. Several NGOs and local experts, playing sound on paper.
• Safety-wise, the Play-Pump the role of Monday Morning Coach,
proved dangerous to children with stories started emerging out of the woodworks So, join me as I raise a glass in
of children falling and hitting their heads claiming to have foreseen the Play- acknowledgement of the failure we know
on the concrete pavement. There was talk Pump’s failure. I only wish these Monday as the Play-Pump. I hope it is pulled out
about trying to introduce safety-belts to Morning Coaches had said something on from under the carpet, out from among
keep the child secured when spinning, Sunday afternoon. Nobody did or said the many unspoken and unholy failures of
but, as many of us may remember from anything when it actually mattered! We years-past and years-to-come, and given a
our own childhoods, the fun in “play” rests just accepted what we got without asking high place of dishonor where people will
mostly on the exhilaration of danger. Take any questions. see it for what it truly is: a reflection of us-
that away and “play” loses its exhilaration. water sector.
And even when failures were imminent
Yes! These are all correct and valid lessons with the Play-Pump–we marched on Information about BASEflow
to take from the Play-Pump’s monumental believing in our naivety that we were BASEflow is a local organization
failure. BUT we are not seeing the grander doing our little part to change Malawi. As working to improve the sustainability of
picture here. We are running away long as targets were being met, numbers groundwater resources and infrastructure.
from the real problem–the real culprit were being reported, LOGFRAMEs were BASEflow is working to empower
of the Play-Pump’s failure is not really followed and donors were happy, there people, organizations, businesses and
conceptual or technical—it is human. were no worries! Hakuna Matata! government with the right knowledge,
This is the very thing that is supposed to technologies and capacities to sustainably
provide solutions to our water problems, I know what you may be asking at this exploit the groundwater resource and
but is ironically adding to them. And that point: What are you, as BASEflow, doing effectively manage existing groundwater
“human thing” is the water sector itself. differently? Through our partnership infrastructure. For more information,
The water sector as a whole–the donors, with the University of Strathclyde and email info@baseflowmw.com .
the NGOs, the bureaucrats, technocrats with financial support from the Scottish
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