1. Author: Wolfgang Eloy Buchner (*)
EMAS Water Systems
Author: Wolfgang Eloy Buchner (*)
(*) German promoter of improved rural water supply and sanitation, working in Bolivia.

2. EMAS “Escuela Móvil de Agua y Saneamiento”
(Mobile School for Water and Sanitation)
Established in Bolivia since 1990.
Promoted drilling of > 20,000 wells and > 50,000 water systems within the reach of the most disadvantaged rural populations in the developing world.
Construction by the users themselves.
EMAS handpump technology patented for the benefit of Humanity.
Provides water supply solutions for any place inhabited by humans.

3. EMAS
The Technology
Manual drilling of wells up to 100 m deep at a cost of 6-8 US$/m.
Construction of handpumps by the users themselves with cheap materials (aprox. US$ 6 plus US$ 1 /meter water depth) and available from any hardware store.
Self-construction of small water storage tanks and distribution systems, complete with wash basins and simple showers.
Self-construction of rainwater harvesting systems, with storage tanks up to 8,000 liters each, featuring different models in accordance with local conditions (one bag of cement per 1,000 litres capacity).
Self-construction of small irrigation systems for household gardens.
Water filters, solar water heaters, dry letrines etc.

4. Self-construction in Nicaragua
The EMAS pump
Components of the pump
Glass marble valves
Self-construction in Nicaragua

5. EMAS Handpump, installed in a thin (1.5”) manually drilled borehole.
Final Products
Simple washing basin with faucet, shower cell, and their water deposit, filled with the pump, on top.
EMAS Handpump, installed in a thin (1.5”) manually drilled borehole.

6. EMAS Rainwater Harvesting
Horizontal underground rainwater tank
(6,000 litres)
Fast filter
Large superficial tank of ferro-cement (8 m3)

7. Some other EMAS alternatives
Water filter
Narural well captation
Dry letrine

8. Simple and cheap technology, but ROBUST!
(3 persons plus a 120 kg water tank
on top of the shower cell without frame)

9. EMAS More information: