The Roundabout Play Pump is a system that

The Roundabout Play. Pump is a system that uses the energy created by children playing to operate a water pump.

Play. Pump is a social enterprise that was founded in late 1989. The co-founders, Trevor Field and a professional engineer named Ronnie Styver, co-designed an innovative product: Play. Pump — a child’s merry-go-around that pumps potable water from a deep borehole to a 2, 500 -liter storage tank that is seven meters above the ground. As children spin the merry-go-around, Play. Pump pumps water up from the borehole to the tank. The idea of providing playground equipment for children that also provides clean water to the community generated over $60 million in support from the US Government, the Case Foundation, and other agencies. By 2008, more than 1, 000 Play. Pumps had been installed in five countries across southern Africa.

The Play. Pump water system is a playground merry-go-round attached to a water pump. The spinning motion pumps underground water into a 2, 500 liter tank raised seven meters above ground. The water in the tank is easily dispensed by a tap valve. According to the manufacturer the pump can raise up to 1400 litres of water per hour from a depth of 40 meters. Excess water is diverted below ground again. The storage tank has a four-sided advertising panel. Two sides are used to advertise products, thereby providing money for maintenance of the pump, and the other two sides are devoted to public health messages about topics like HIV/AIDS prevention.

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More facts about the Playpump can be found at: http: //www. playpumps. co. za/

Sadly, Play. Pump did not succeed due to being too expensive, too complex to maintain or repair in low-resource settings, too reliant on child labour, and overall less effective than traditional handpumps.