The India Mark II Hand Pump, a conventional lever
action pump, is one of the largest selling hand pumps across the world. The
government of India, along with the continuous and considerable efforts of
non-governmental, industrial and multilateral organizations in the 1970s
developed this mechanically efficient hand pump. The above ground
mechanism comprises of pump head, handle, water tank and stand assemblies, and
the below-ground mechanism comprises of riser pipes, connecting rods and
cylinder assembly. The pump is designed for heavy-duty use and is capable of
serving communities of up to 300 people.
This pump consists of a pump head, pump
stand and a handle made of galvanized steel. The down hole components consist
of a brass lined cast iron cylinder with a foot valve and a plunger of brass.
Since this pump is not corrosion resistant and requires special skills and
tools for maintenance along with installation, it is not considered to be a VLOM
(village level operation and management of maintenance) pump. Thus it cannot be
used in areas with aggressive water conditions. The above ground body of the
pump is made of welded steel plates and is hot dip galvanized for corrosion
resistance. The handle bar is designed to reduce the pumping effort of the user
to a minimum, since the weight of the connecting rods is counter balanced. The
cylinder has a highly polished brass liner, which ensures a long life of the nitrite rubber pump bucket. The pump requires a circular operating space
of 2m diameter and the operating depth ranged from 25-90m, and gives a water
output of 900 liters per hour at 40 strokes per minute. The speed might vary,
reaching a maximum of 125 strokes per minute but the ideal speed remains 40
strokes per minute. The riser pipes are 32m in diameter and GI, SS, PVC pipe variants are available.
The mark II pumps manufactured by Aakash International possess features
that differentiate them from other variants available in the market. The
pumping head, handle, pump stand, rising main and rods are made of galvanized
steel which makes them corrosion resistant, while the pump cylinder caste and
foot valve are made of brass. Also, the Indian Bureau of Standards has been
adhered to while manufacturing of this product to ensure the provision of
maximum quality to the customers.
Under the
hand pump project of the UNDP/World
Bank, extensive trials were conducted on twelve different deep well hand pumps from all over the world, including
France, Holland, Canada, Sweden, South Africa U.K., U.S.A. and India. The parameter for
testing included ease of manufacture and use and installation, mechanical and
volumetric efficiency, frequency of breakdowns and maintenance needed,
user-friendliness and acceptability, and resistance to corrosion. Mark II
emerged as the best hand pump of all through these tests, which makes it the
most widely used hand pump around the world. The sturdy nature of this hand
pump requires adherence to standards of quality control to eliminate broken
down pumps that are not in use due to use of sub standard parts during
manufacturing. At Aakash International, it
is made sure that the standards provided by the Indian Bureau of Standards is adhered
to, which ensures that only the best quality is provided to customers.
