Back to solutions
2 Jan 2020 | NEPCAT technologies

Treadle pump

1 min Read

70% Complete

A treadle pump is a foot operated water lifting device that can be used by smallholder farmers to irrigate their land in places where the water table is high.

A treadle pump is a simple, cheap, and effective device for lifting water. In this technology, bamboo levers are pushed repeatedly by foot to provide the driving power to lift water. This simple device is relatively easy to install and maintain and is environmentally friendly. Three types of treadle pumps are in common use; all three use the cylinder and paddle concept, but the model which uses a cylinder 8.9 cm in diameter and has bamboo paddles is the one most commonly favoured by farmers in the region. It is cheaper and can lift more water than a comparable hand pump. On average, a treadle pump can be used to lift water from about 6 m underground and one such pump can irrigate as much as 0.34 ha of land (depending on the soil type and other conditions). In addition to lifting water for irrigation, the treadle pump can also be used for a variety of domestic purposes. In the Terai areas of Nepal, it is also widely used as a means of generating income.

When farmers consider installing a treadle pump, they first need to verify whether there is sufficient groundwater to merit the expense. Treadle pumps should be installed by trained technicians and properly maintained throughout their lifetime. If possible, an extra set of spare parts should always be kept on hand and a trained technician should be consulted for major repairs.

Banke, Bardiya, Dailekh, Surkhet, Kaski, Dhanusha, Kapilbastu, Rupandehi, Jhapa, and Salyan Districts, Nepal

WOCAT database reference: QT NEP 32

Location: Banke, Bardiya, Dailekh, Surkhet, Kaski, Dhanusha, Kapilbastu, Rupandehi, Jhapa, and Salyan Districts, Nepal.

Technology area: >1,000 km2

Conservation measure(s): Structural

Land Use: Annual cropping

Stage of intervention: Prevention of land degradation

Origin: Experiment/research

Climate: Subhumid/subtropical

Related approach: Not described

Compiled by: Purusottam Gupta, IDE-Nepal

Date: May 2011, updated March 2013

General comments: This technology is used by more than one and half million people in different countries including Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, and Nepal. More than thirty thousand people have treadle pumps in Nepal. Treadle pumps are also a useful means of generating income for smallholder farmers in the Terai area of Nepal.

Download PDF

2 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Riverbed farming

Riverbed farming can be used to increase household income and to improve the food security of landless and land-poor households ...

1 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Drinking water quality improvement through conservation measures

Structural and vegetative measures to improve the quality of drinking water contaminated due to poor sanitation and seepage This technology combines ...

2 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Polypit nursery

A simple, inexpensive and practical method for raising healthy plant seedlings During the winter in Nepal’s middle mountains, the soil temperature ...

2 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
System of Rice Intensification (SRI)

A method for increasing the productivity of rice by changing the management of plants, soil, water, and nutrients The System of ...

1 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Plastic film technology

Plastic film technology, sometimes called plastic mulching, is an important breakthrough that can transform traditional agriculture into modern agriculture by ...

1 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Hedgerow technology

A technology that uses hedgerows to help establish terraces on sloping land; farmers learn improved methods to manage a cultivation ...

1 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Legume integration

Integration of leguminous crops as intercrops on terrace risers or as relay crops Legumes are widely grown across the hills of ...

2 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Riverbank protection

Local materials and knowledge can be used to construct low-cost structural measures that help to prevent the erosion of riverbanks ...