The recent and tragic events in Christchurch have highlighted the need for emergency and back-up water supplies, where natural disasters result in a lack of drinkable water for a population of over 300,000 people. There are serious health and safety concerns for the residents as well as the council and managerial institutions and organisations charged with the responsibility of providing essential supplies to the city of Christchurch.
The most recent earthquake to hit Christchurch on the 22nd of February 2011 proved much more devastating than its larger counterpart which struck in September 2010. As well as devastating the city centre's infrastructure and causing severe damage to the suburbs, particularly on the eastern side of the city, the entire population has been affected by a severe water shortage due to damaged water pipes throughout the city.
This has been compounded by the loss of power to large parts of the city which has meant that other alternatives to traditional water pumping solutions had to be found. Manually operated tank pumps are one such solution. With no need for electricity to operate, the hand operated tank pump provides an effective solution to accessing tank water which would otherwise be inaccessible. Being constructed of polypropylene, they are not only strong and durable, but are up to the respective food grade standards, being completely safe to transport water and other soluble food and drinking sources from the tank or other storage unit.
With the ability to pump on both the downward and upward strokes of the tank pump, the process of transferring the water or other liquids is very efficient. Additionally, through an innovative design the pump itself has no moving parts in its interior, meaning that wear and tear through use is minimised.
Large sources of water have been trucked into the city to deal with the water supply, with varying types of manually operated tank pumps being at the heart of the delivery process from these tanks to the bottles of residents who are desperate for clean drinking water. Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker recently stated in a press conference that "sanitation and access to water was still the biggest problem the city faced", with extra water supplies and tanks being transported in at an ever increasing rate of frequency.
Furthermore, the water shortages are now starting to affect the surrounding farming community where irrigation systems which were badly affected in the September 2010 earthquake are again coming under pressure. It seems that water tanks and water tank pumps will be an essential measure to ensure that both city residents and farming communities surrounding Christchurch are able to access clean and safe drinking water, as well as for productive farming purposes.
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