HANDPUMP CORROSION : PHYSICO-CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF GROUNDWATER

Abstract

Groundwater abstractions plays a very important part in water supplies throughout the world. While traditional sources, springs and hand-dug wells still provide adequate water supplies for many communities, water wells and handpumps can and have increased the available supplies to satisfy demand in localities. These are readily accessible sources of water. Often these water wells and handpumps operate inefficiently or abandoned due to failure of key components or pumpage of sand or otherwise poor quality water (high iron content) -caused by corrosio_s. One such area (Doc'n Valley) where the, problem of corrosion in,handpumps occur, has been studieo.. The high =iron content in handpump water is perhaps due to transfonnations of iron minerals to siderite in the presence of CO2 and/or microbial interaction of anaerobic and aerated waters