Solar (photovoltaic) powered water pumping has the potential to bring sustainable supplies of potable water to millions of people in developing Countries. Unfortunately, in many cases the application of the pump technology ignores the sociological and economic needs of the users, leading to lack of maintenance, inappropriate financing schemes, inadequate system management and. ultimately, failure of the pump. This paper investigates some of the issues involved in solar water pumping projects, describes the positive and negative effects that they can have on the community and, in proposing an entirely new type of pump. considers what steps could be taken to ensure future sustainability. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.