The Bilolo Community Gets a New Water Pump

Bilolo is a rural community in Ba with around 200 people situated along Kings Road near Ba town.

Representatives from the community approached Rotary Pacific Water for Life Foundation (RPW) with a request to examine their existing borehole and pump system. The pumps they had been installing were breaking down at an unusual rate of about one per annum. They had replaced five pumps already, and electricity bills were soaring.

To analyze the problem, RPW performed a pumping test and surveyed the topography between the borehole and the water reservoir.

RPW test data showed that the 1.1HP borehole pumps the community had been installing were the wrong type for their particular water system configuration. As a consequence, the pumps were operating far off their duty point and dangerously close to their run-out points. This explained the short life span of the pumps and the high electricity bills.

To remediate the problem, RPW designed and installed a new 0.75KW pump with a DOL starter and overload protection. This pump operated on its duty point at an efficiency of  63%. In fact, the new pump pumped at a higher rate but at a lower cost. The estimated monthly energy use for pumping 38,000 liters per day was around 340KWhr.

The community has already noticed a positive change in their monthly electricity bills. RPW estimates that the community saves around 30% on their electricity bill with the new pump installed.

This project was funded by RPW Gold Sponsor Fiji Water Foundation. It enhanced the water committee’s capacity in operating their system. The project was initiated as a training component for the Bilolo Water Committee as the members were involved while work was in progress and anticipated in learning the importance of pump protection.

VINAKA GOLD SPONSORS, FIJI WATER FOUNDATION!