Progress Report, December 2022
I have learned a great deal since June 2019 when first presented with the problem of securing clean and reliable water to traditional Lozi villages of the Barotse Plain.
In November 2019 I installed five sandpoint wells and handpumps in Kalenga Village as a proof-of-concept. This test was successful in that virtually unlimited near-surface groundwater can be accessed by this very low-cost and low-tech method. The only issue was the pump. Commercially available cast iron pumps could not withstand communal use (approximately 100 people are served by a single well). In June 2021 I installed a PVC pump of my own design. This pump could deliver lots of water but took too much effort to use (it must be able to be used by a child to be practical) and PVC components common in the USA are not available in Zambia.
During the winter of 2021-22 I designed an all-steel pump. In July 2022 I returned to Zambia with what we are calling the Barotse Strong Pump (BSP) – a pump made of steel parts that can be found in-country. I commissioned a machine shop in Lusaka to build five more.
These pumps are fitted with polymer bearings, a check-valve and plunger (these parts are imported from the USA) in our Mongu workshop.
Engineers and machinist at AFE Engineering, Lusaka examine the BSP we built in Kentucky (special thanks to my pipe fitter pal Garry Strange). 12 July 2022.
Four of the five BSPs manufactured by AFE Engineering. They added the 90 degree deflector to the spout which makes it easier to fill a bucket or jug. 17 July 2022.
A potential problem was solved before it could occur. As the pump is integral to the well casing and the casing consists of three two-meter sections of pipe, it would be possible to unscrew a coupling by rotating the pump. This potential issue was solved by welding two one-meter sections of flat steel to the bottom half of the casing that is capped with the pump. These “fins” are buried in the sand and makes the pump impossible to rotate by hand.
Welders across the street from our Mongu workshop weld flat steel “fins” to the lower portion of a 2 meter section of 1 1/4” pipe. The pipe will serve as the upper section well casing and is topped with a BSP. 19 July 2022.
A broken cast iron pump is replaced in Kalenga Village. An existing well casing is cut 1 meter below grade and replaced with a 2 meter section with the steel fins and capped with the pump base. 20 July 2022.
We replaced three of the four original cast iron pumps (all broken beyond repair) with BSPs (the fourth well was filled with sand by children after the base of the cast iron pump broke). We have found the way forward with the BSP. The bulk of this pump is made of materials found in Zambia and can be manufactured by Zambians. We now have a very strong pump designed for communal use that can be locally manufactured.
Project Sheluka foreman John Simasiku installs a BSP in Kalenga Village. 20 July 2022.
A girl fills my water bottle with one of the three BSP replacements in Kalenga Village. 20 July 2022.
Project Sheluka is coming onto the scene at just the right time politically. My trip intentionally coincided with the Fourth African Union Mid-Year Meeting. I was honored to attend a luncheon hosted by Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema. Mr. Hichilema officiated the launch of the Zambia Water Investments Programme. “We call on the international community, development partners, government ministries and departments, as well as private sector to rally behind this landmark investment programme to ensure national water security so that every Zambian has access to clean water and adequate sanitation services,” stated the President.
President Hichilema launches the Zambia Water Investments Programme at the Fourth African Union Mid-Year meeting. 16 July 2022.
As the Hichilema administration (took office August 24, 2021) a collected effort to eliminate corruption was launched. This brought on a new level of formality and adherence to existing law, which has led to a gauntlet of application documents for organizations like Project Sheluka. In order for us to import materials (seals, sandpoints, bearings, etc) without paying very large customs duties, we have to be an approved Non-Government Organization. The application began in April and was granted in August this year. And just as I was ready to ship over 2,000 pounds of hardware, an additional program application was recommended. This program will allow rebates or refunds of any additional duties that may be imposed. While such bureaucratic hurdles are frustrating, they do formalize a relationship between Project Sheluka and the Zambian government.
My credentials for the Fourth African Union Mid-Year Meeting. 16 July 2022.
By the end of 2022 we will have all necessary documents in order. We will then ship enough sandpoints and associated hardware needed to install 110 wells in 80 villages on the Matebele and Mulonga Plains. It will take between 50 and 60 days to get these supplies to Lusaka. Simultaneously, AFE Engineering will be commissioned to build 110 pump bodies. 110 six meter sections of pipe will be delivered to our Mongu workshop where John Simasiku will cut and thread the pipe. Even if we had everything in Mongu now in December 2022 we could not begin installation until June 2023 as it is now the rainy season – it typically rains every day between mid November through late March.
As soon as the sand track leading west towards the border with Angola is passable, the installations will begin.
I want to thank all who are making this possible, from corporations donating and discounting materials to scores of individuals who have supported this cause.
Joe Meiman, President Project Sheluka