The Hippo Water Roller
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 12.11.06
“Approximately 10 000 communities throughout Southern Africa (15 million people) are currently without adequate access to water.” Multitudes have to trek long distances to distant waterholes or wells to obtain their daily water needs. Often women and children carry 20 litre (5 gallon) buckets on their heads to transport the stuff. This has shown to impact on their long term health, particularly with regard spinal and back injuries. Enter the Hippo Water Roller. A barrel-shaped container of UV stabilised polyethylene, designed to transport 90 litres (20 gallons) of water. It is said to be the equivalent of managing about 10 kgs (22 lbs), and this allows communities to move transport five times the quantity of water they used to for the same effort. But even the price of $75 USD is beyond many villagers, so the Imvubu Project, an business supplying ‘poverty alleviating products’ encourages funding of the rollers via the Africa Foundation. (A donation would make a great Christmas present, especially if made on behalf that person ‘who has everything', and really doesn't need another golf ball monogram marker.) ::The Hippo Roller, via the pages of Design Like You Give A Damn.
Recently TH was accused of more blatant product placement. To which I call “Balderdash, Piffle and Poppycock.” We showcase design that we think is leading us to greener, more just world. Sometimes such products and services cost pittance, and other times bucketloads of moolah. We show it all. Like for instance, these ten examples we’ve previously cited regarding improved access to water for Africa:
The Watercone
Ryan’s Well
The Deep Water Pump
Julie Frost’s Mvura
Free solar purification
The wax tube
The Elephant Pump
The Roundabout
Solar Aquapak
Dean Kamen strikes again
While on the one hand these might be more difficult to manage on uneven terrain (when compared to carrying water on the body), I wonder if they might actually improve road conditions in the communities in which they are in use by flattening out ruts. This could reduce pooling in the roads, which might also reduce breeding habitat for mosquitos, though presumably only to an insignificant degree.
Wow, and it could protect users from landmines!
Bravo for this post; it is good to read about meaningful innovations like this, simple solutions that make a huge positive impact on people's lives.
As a former Peace Corp person who spent 2 years in Africa, transporting 20 gallons of water easily is a godsend to these people. Solving the water and firewood (with solar cookers) problems allows the people to be able to advance their lives.
Please, more posts like this one that focus on these incredibly important issues and less coverage on the more trivial type of topics (i.e. the latest brand of organic ice cream, etc.).
Let's "post like we give a damn" :)
Looks like a lawn roller. A cool way to make a old idea new and useful for something else.
$75 seems expensive.
Must be a way to make these things cheaper in Africa, maybe by using recycled soda bottle plastic...