Posted: November 16th, 2022

Hippo Water Roller Projects

Hippo Water Roller Projects
Management
Topic:
Sustainability in emerging economies report – Solving drinking water problem

Abstract/Executive Summary
This report paper documents a sustainability analysis on how the introduction of an innovative use of Hippo Water Roller may enhance the socio-economic, environmental and social stability value of the people living in the parts of parts of Kutch, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh in India. In order to adapt the technology this report provides a business plan proposal, feasibility study, and reviews its fundamentals in cultural, economic, biophysical, political and natural resources developments when operationalized. The paper highlights the plan to set up the use Hippo Water Roller; the required materials, access and transport; and the impact of venturing into the business (Kofi & Desta, 2008, p.12). Moreover, the report addresses significant questions on how to Hippo Water Roller would create societal value of basic needs, jobs, and food/water and energy security. It would address related environment issues, local economic and social betterment, and infrastructure as well as human capital. The proposal gives clear expectations in the community and entire nation with the introduction of the Hippo Water Rollers as a measure for sustainable development. The project also shows a clear timeline with main tasks that must be performed before ultimately launching the program. The timeline also indicates the associated budget with expected outcome. The paper ends with conclusive remarks of the plan and idea presentation for the recent future implementation.
Keywords: Water Scarcity, Hippo Water Roller, Poverty, Sustainable Development, Socio-economical Security, Human Right.
Project Rationale
Water crisis faces India in terms of both severity and spread. The main areas of the country that suffer major water crisis include parts of Kutch, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. Moreover, India food security is under threat with frequent rationing even in Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai. People’s livelihood is under threat and this nightmare is just in its initial stages. Communities in these parts of India as well as Africa, use women and girls to fetch water from water sources located in very far regions (Mesure, 2013, p.2). The methods mostly used is that of carrying medium-sized water buckets on their heads, or lifting containers and they have to travel for very long time due to very far distances of water points. The 20-litre containers of water that ladies often carry in scorching heat exhaust them and make them lose time and energy.
Women and girls lose many opportunities and time by the daily toils of collecting water. A lot of time taken to fetch domestic water slows down education, and ultimately national developments. Since school going girls are very resourceful in water collection, various homes needs them for the course and this may lead them to drop out of schools, especially those from poor families. A report from the United Nations Children’s Fund records that girls and women across the globe collectively spend approximately 200 million hours per day fetching water.
Most rivers in India get exhausted at high rate due to their natural inability to sustain themselves resulting from pollution from various sources. The entire India has reduced per capita water availability and the decline almost categorizes the country in a water-scarce nation. The situation is foreseen to worsen due to unpredictable climate changes. These water issues call for innovative approaches through management, scientific and technological experiences to safeguard the country’s value for the general sustainability of its presently available water sources. The document proposes the use of Hippo Water Rollers to minimize energy and time spent in water collection, and increase portability and the quantity of water carried and stored in a single trip (Akong’o Dimba, 2010, p.130). Furthermore, there are several sustainability advantages that relate to adopting the use of Hippo Water Rollers as already seen in the countries that adapted them before.
How Business Plan Would Solve Sustainability Issue in the Affected Regions
The sustainable business plan aiming at introducing the Hippo Water Rollers in Kutch, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh would resolve the currently existing environmental and socioeconomic challenges affecting the dwellers. Hippo Roller is a simple award-winning technology and a water solution that fetches up to five times more water compared to a single bucket. It is operated by simply rolling it on the ground by either pushing or pulling it. It is a simple technological design that can change the world. The project has transformed the lives of people in parts of Africa, such as the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Currently, most parts of India suffer because of water crises (Crabbe, 2012, p.13). Those drastically affected are women and ladies who have the task of carrying water on their head from long distances. They spend a lot of time in the water collection activities using small containers which make them take several trips to gather enough quantities. Some girls, especially from poor families even drop out of schools to serve the family’s water needs. Introduction of Hippo Rollers would; therefore, have many benefits in the affected communities. The significance that the business plan would bring to the societies after utilizing the idea of Hippo Rollers to fetch water would include the following:
First, the technology would empower women and girls by allowing them to attend schools and learn ways to overcome the poverty cycle. Second, the technique would aid to equality by emancipating women, children and girls. Men are likely to participate more in fetching water using Hippo Water Rollers. Moreover, children would have time to do homework and play, and women and girls would have more to do in less time due to the high efficiency guaranteed by the technology. Third, there would be increased potential to grow vegetables due to more water availability. One Hippo Water Roller has a capacity of approximately 90-litres hence more water. Fourth, the Hippo Roller is easier to roll with a resultant weight of about 10kg on a plane ground when rolling. The health benefit would involve elimination of arm and spinal cord injuries caused by heavy burden from water buckets, hence avoiding premature spine aging. Lastly, Hippo Water Roller would aid to sustainable environment since it can last for five or more years and its design would offer a flexible infrastructure to numerous water access throughout the year. The users would experience the benefits of Hippo Water Roller immediately. The system saves energy and time and prevents injuries resulting from carrying heavy loads (Crabbe, 2012, p.8).
Feasibility Analysis
To ensure a competitive advantage, introduction of Hippo Water Rollers must ensure simplicity as well as effectiveness in the regions of usage. The communities must realize the reduced effort and time when the Hippo Water Rollers are used instead of the traditional water lifting by the Indians. For perfect applicability, the Hippo Water Rollers composes UV stabilized Polyethylene designed to withstand rough rural terrains, uneven footpaths, broken bottles and rocks (Crabbe, 2012, p.11). The drum has a steel handle clip that provides effective control while pulling or pushing the roller on a difficult terrain. A large lid of about 135mm diameter allows for easy filling up of the drum and cleaning of its inner part. Moreover, the one piece, and seamless design of the drum makes it eminently perfect for rural terrains due to its massive strength. The drum is durable and ensures little maintenance during its use. The drum can be used in a dirt road at 20 km/h for more than 15 km without any significant marks of wear and a five year and above usage is guaranteed. The wide and smooth rolling surface of the drum enables it to be easily rolled on both soft sand and mud and two people can easily roll side by side more easily due to its simple control. Unlike wheelbarrows where forces concentrate on a narrow point and can create channels that may lead to soil erosion, Hippo Water Rollers spread forces out and does not create groves hence secure the environment. The materials from which the rollers are made are recyclable polymers hence have an advantage of donor funding. Lastly, the innovative design of the drums enables the water to be put into the wheel (rolling drum) other than carried above the wheel. Therefore, the weight of 90kg is endured on the ground leading to effective weight of only 10kg on the plane ground surface (Crabbe, 2012, p.11).
Specific Fundamentals of Business Development to Consider
Kutch, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh regions in India face severe water crises. Currently, these areas seek to utilize various proposals to solve the issues that face them. Various strategies have been applied and proposed to improve the socioeconomic developments of these local areas. One way for resolving water scarcity in these areas have been through campaigns. The techniques include revival of old structures of water and rural water management techniques. Some specific efforts have been harvesting run off and treating the catchments for water that are ultimately used in irrigation of lands (Amanor & Moyo, 2008, p.56). The main intention is to restore a drought free state.
This paper proposes the strategy of using Hippo Water Rollers. The technique has been used and proved successful in many countries in Africa like Somalia, Uganda, and South Africa among others. The people living in parts of Kutch, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh have low incomes. Moreover, the areas are located far from water sources, forcing the community members to use buckets and walk to water sources to collect water. The Hippo Water Rollers introduction would act as a sustainable strategy that will solve water problems and relieve people from muscles aches and pains they encounter by lifting buckets either by hands or on heads.
The Hippo Rollers have the following standards: First, the rollers’ approximate capacity is 90 litres and people can easily use them to carry water five times as much as the buckets would carry. Second, due to the rugged physical terrain in the regions, the drum is made to withstand rural conditions. Third, the handle has rust-free steel while the body is made of a recyclable material (polyethylene) hence preservation of natural resources. Lastly, the capacity of the Hippo Roller can serve two to five families and can as well be used to irrigate farms hence environmental and agricultural benefit. Other than irrigation, some small business enterprises would be created by people who would sell water to other community members using their Hippo Water Rollers thereby enabling them to rise above the poverty levels.
Execution Plan
To set the project I would use the local people in the regions of interest. A personal appeal would be made to the local government and the non-government organization to support the project as it would positively impact lives of many people in India. Moreover, training programs on the usefulness and the sustainable advantages of Hippo Rollers would be conducted for people to learn the appropriate technology, business sustainable, water access improvement, and social wellness associated with the product. The local materials that would be needed to make the drum are polyethylene polymer for body, steel for its handle, and aluminium for the self-sealing lid. We can use the United Nations World Food Programs to access the Hippo Water Rollers and distribute them to the areas of interest. Both local and international distributions of Hippo Rollers can be realised with support from NGO’s, Government, Corporate Social Investment and other donor institutions (Brautigam, 2009, p.3).
Impacts of the Venture
The venture would have social, economic, cultural, and biophysical and natural resource impacts. Hippo Rollers would help informal and smallholder communities to improve water access, food security and transform lives and enhance social responsibility objectives. There would be reduced burden of fetching water often experienced by children, girls and women.
Benefits of the Venture
Hippo Water Rollers are easier to carry as aided by the rollers. Males would Help in fetching water using the roller because it can easily be pulled or pushed and eliminates the myths involved in traditional methods of collecting water by women, girls and children. Also, a larger quantity of water can be fetched for all household activities. Moreover, there would be decreased incidences of spinal cord pains and early aging due to the weight of the buckets. Hippo Rollers would also help informal and smallholder communities to improve water access, food security and transform lives and enhance social responsibility objectives. Lastly, the application of Hippo Rollers would improve hygiene, health, and avail more water and time for food production, household tasks, and education.
Expected Outcome
The project is expected to serve approximately 10,000 people annually. As time avails to the recipients of the project, children will attend schools and earn better grades. Therefore, in future, social and economic opportunities will develop including self-sustaining foods and vegetable gardens necessary for income generation.
Conclusive Remarks
Hippo Water Rollers is a technology that is expected to improve the livelihood of the people of Kutch, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. Water is significant for human life sustenance. Water plays an essential role in agriculture, sanitation, ecosystems, and energy. It is valuable for both human and environment. For poor people, water would guarantee safe access to sustain their lives and protect their livelihood (Rainey, 2010, p.2).

References
Mesure, H., 2013. The Business of Sustainable Development in Africa. Human Rights, Partnerships, Alternative Business Models. Society and Business Review.
Rainey, D.L., 2010. Sustainable business development: inventing the future through strategy, innovation, and leadership. Cambridge university press.
Brautigam, D., 2009. The dragon’s gift: the real story of China in Africa. Oxford University Press.
Kofi, T.A. and Desta, A., 2008. Saga of African underdevelopment: a viable approach for Africa’s sustainable development in the 21st century. Africa World Press.
Akong’o Dimba, B., 2010. Strategic human resource management practices: effect on performance. African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, 1(2), pp.128-137.
Amanor, K.S. and Moyo, S., 2008. Land and sustainable development in Africa. Zed Books.
Hepworth, I., Chen, C., dela Cruz, J. and Maizel, A., Appropriate Water Technologies for Developing Countries.
Crabbe, A., 2012. Three strategies for sustainable design in the developing world. Design Issues, 28(2), pp.6-15.

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