If a pump is imported the costs of shipping and customs duty may significantly increase the acutual cost of the pump to its users. The significance of social factors to any development project cannot be over-emphasised. This is particularly true of community water supplies, which involve every member of the community on daily basis. A large amount of written material is available highlighting theimportance of community involvement and detailing examples of participation in project initiation, design, management, and finance. It is strongly recommended that anyone exploring the possibility of initiating a community water supply should obtain some of the available literature and give great attention to the social aspects of the project.
Good engineering is only one part of sustainable, economic and equitable water supply system.
Without complete community involvement, even a water supply system that is technically perfect is likely to encounter serious problems and may fail altogether. Adequate community involvement is particularly important during the period of system appraisal and design, and is dependent on good communication. When sufficient time and care is invested in producing a widely acceptable design, ram pump technology can be very appropriate to rural areas and be capable of true village-level operation and maintenance.