How it began
The pump was first designed in 1933 by Tommy Murgatroyd in Plumtree, in what is now Zimbabwe. An early Murgatroyd pump installed in 1936 still survives. Cecil Anderson restyled the pump in the 1960s, and Peter Morgan of the Blair Research Laboratory redesigned it again in 1987, when it became known as the Zimbabwe Bush Pump B type.
How it works
The pump is worked by a long handle made of standard steel water pipe. Its distinguishing part is a block of hardwood teak that acts as both the bearing and the lever mechanism, and which lasts a long time. Below ground, the standard version uses a 600 millimeter brass cylinder with 50 millimeter galvanized steel pipes, 16 millimeter mild steel rods and two leather piston seals. Most pumps work at depths of 30 to 40 meters and a few reach 100 meters. An open-top cylinder version makes it easier to replace the piston seals, the most frequent maintenance job.
What changed first
The B type underwent trials between 1987 and 1989 and was accepted by the government as the national standard in 1989. About 50,000 Bush Pumps have been installed in Zimbabwe. According to Morgan, Zimbabwe is the only country in Africa that has standardized on a hand pump that originated in its own country.
What lasted
The pump entered the public domain in 1999, when international specifications were drawn up by SKAT in Switzerland; the Standards Association of Zimbabwe also holds a national standard. A widely cited paper in Social Studies of Science in 2000 used the pump as its example of an appropriate technology, arguing that its adaptable and flexible character made it stronger than a rigid design.
Where it stands today
The B type remains the national standard and is also used in Namibia. Large numbers of the installed pumps need rehabilitation, and Morgan has written that an effective maintenance system needs to be reestablished. The pump is regarded in Zimbabwe as a national treasure.
