Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Bert Pfleger member of the EMAS board (Germany). Together with Wolfgang Buchner, who is the founder of the EMAS training centre and has more than 40 years experience in the Self-supply, we traveled to Zambia last month. There we trained trainers from Jacana SMART centre, independent borehole drillers and welders.
Wolfgang teaching EMAS pump production
The training program included:
- Production of EMAS drilling equipment.
- Drilling and finalizing of boreholes in soft, sandy (to almost powdered) soils.
- Making 7m³ water tanks.
- Production and installation of EMAS pumps.
- Making of accessories like hand washing basins, treadle options for the pump, expansion vessels and small tanks.
Toilet seat, 7 m³ water tank, rain water harvesting
First water from EMAS borehole in Zambia
Basically the EMAS pump is not only the most affordable pump, it is also completely closed and produces water under pressure. You can for example pump water to a small overhead tank and take a shower or spray a small garden with it.
Wolfgang and I are impressed by the highly skilled and motivated water entrepreneurs who were trained and guided by Jacana SMART Centre in 2017. The guys seem to have a good sense for doing business serving customers with limited budgets and are experienced in drilling boreholes in very hard soils. But drilling in extreme soft soils has got its own set of challenges which the participants quickly mastered.
EMAS-Drilling
I believe with the newly gained skills, the entrepreneurs and Jacana trainers are now able to spread their wings even further. The EMAS group expects great potential in the (below) blue colored areas of the Zambia manual drill-ability map (in the West, part of South and part of the North of Zambia).
Suitability for manual drilling
The EMAS technology fits very well in these areas. The EMAS pump is even more affordable than the rope pump. For example: in Bolivia thousands of boreholes (drilled up to 100 m deep) are made for 6 USD per meter including the pump. Wolfgang even designed a pump without submerged moving parts so there is no wear even if the water is a bit sandy.
EMAS trained drillers, welders and Zambian trainers
Bert Pfleger and the trainees
We thank Jacana SMART Centre for its hospitality and it was a joy to work with the small-scale water entrepreneurs in Zambia. We are looking forward to a next mission possibly somewhere in the sandy drill-able soils of Western Zambia.