The internationally-awarded hydraulic ram pump perfected by a Bacolod-based non government organization is now in Nepal.

Auke Idzenga, head of the Technical Department, and chairperson of Management Team of the Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation in Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City, yesterday said he and Roy Inocencio successfully installed a pilot ram pump in the District of Dhading, Nepal, about three hours away from Kathmandu from May 15 to June 5.

The installation is part of a complete technology transfer between AIDFI and the Centre for Rural Technology, Nepal (CRT/N), Idzenga said.

CRT/N is a professional non-governmental organization involved in developing and promoting appropriate rural and renewable energy technologies effective in improving the livelihood of the rural masses, he said.

Nepal is a mountainous country, so there is a huge potential there for the hydraulic ram pump, a device which lifts water to high elevations without the use of energy except that from falling water, he added.

The pilot site for the ram pump is in a village with some 25 households where the villagers, especially the women, had to go down to fetch the water manually, Idzenga said.

“The water now flows freely in the village.  Since there is still water left at the spring, the village head told AIDFI that, in the near future, they want to have a second pump installed,” he added.

Later  this year, three Nepalese are coming over to the AIDFI shop in Bacolod City and will be trained in all aspects of the hydraulic ram technology from theory, surveying, system design, cost calculations, actual manufacturing to installation and testing, he said, in  order to have the AIDFI model ram pump spread  in Nepal.

The technology transfer is sponsored by Renewable World, which is a United Kingdom based charity set up by individuals from the renewable energy industry to help poor communities who are most vulnerable to climate change, Idzenga said.

In the same time two Colombian technicians are coming over to AIDFI in July for complete training as well, Idzenga said.

After their training AIDFI technicians will go with them to Colombia to set up a pilot installation at a school in a far flung area, he added.

AIDFI ram pump is the recipient of the 2011 Fr. Neri Satur Award for Environmentalism,  2010 BBC World Challenge Award, 2010 Energy Institute Award, 2008 recognition from former US President Bill Clinton, 2008 Energy Globe Award, the 2007 Ashden Award from Al Gore and the 2006 the first Green Award of the Philippine Department of Energy.*CPG

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