Community Water Supply: the handpump option. The World Bank: Washington D.C

-. _-. rr s-,-ww--- ics~lityandgmwthcanbee;lh~if~RIlaland;~-tinge popufations are adequately ser43d with non-pblluted water supplies. An adequGe watet supply is one of the bzsic needs of Me, but is often lashing in developing countries. Not only has the rate of ccmstruction of improved water supply systems bsen slower than tha target of compfete coverage originally sat under the International Drinking Water Supply and Saniition Dacade, but also many of the schemes already cqrr~pleted are not in satisfactory operating condition. A sound investment strategy in this ~e;allsfwlowcostandmafntainaMesolutionstoa~ievewide-scalecoveregeof~~ rum! and urban fringe communitiss in developing countdes. Among the most promising low-cost options are systems based cm groundwater and handpumps. Unpolluted gmundwater in sufficient quantities for manual extraction can ba found in most areas of the world; a handpump is usually the most affordable and hygienic means of lifting tha groundwater to the surface. The modem handpump can be maintained by the cammunitias erved and manufactured in the developing countries. In the dry regions o