Stuart Taylor on his India-made treadle pump
THIRD WORLD TECHNOLOGY SAVES ST BONIFACE BASEMENT
Press Release
Winnipeg man uses village irrigation pump to drain flooded basement
June 2, 2010
[Winnipeg]- When the water started rising in his basement during this past weekend's heavy rains, St Boniface resident Stuart Taylor turned to a unique solution - a foot-powered irrigation pump that his organization has developed for third-world farmers. Mr. Taylor is the executive director of Winnipeg-based International Development Enterprises - a non-profit organization that designs and markets low-cost irrigation equipment for village farmers in Africa, Asia and Central America.
His daughter was the first to alert him to the rising waters in their finished basement. "She called me down to the guest room," he says "and just pointed at the floor." A pool of water was creeping out from under the bed. "Within an hour or so, the place was a swimming pool."
While Mr. Taylor bailed water into a Rubbermaid container, his wife called local supply stores to try and get a rental pump. "No-one she spoke to had anything for rent - or even for sale. Obviously we weren't the only ones looking for a pump on Saturday night. My wife turned to me and said, 'Why don't you get out to the office and grab a treadle pump.' It was a brilliant idea."
The foot-powered pump is a simple device that resembles a Stairmaster. Treadles drive two pistons that can pump water from up to six meters' depth. IDE works with manufacturers and retailers in developing countries to establish local production and supply of a range of innovative and affordable irrigation technologies, including the pump. Farmers who use the pump to irrigate their crops can double their incomes within the first year.
"It's ironic," says Taylor. "We developed this pump so that farmers facing water scarcity can collect and apply water to their fields. In my case, there was anything but a scarcity of water and I'm using this same pump to get rid of the stuff!"
Having read about some homeowners left without power and unable to use their electric pumps this weekend, Mr. Taylor thinks he may have hit upon an opportunity. "I see the business model as part exercise gym and part emergency response unit," he says, smiling. "We can offer people a good aerobic workout in exchange for pumping out flooded basements. It's a win-win."