Man gets int'l patent for pump

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara (JP): A retired elementary school teacher in Sika, Flores, has received international acclaim for his water pump, an invention now registered at The Hague patent office.

Saverius Nurak 61, described his invention as a product that resulted from a combination of natural challenges and artistic innovation.

His birthplace, Nitaboleng village, is the only area in Sika where clean water is hard to obtain.

An artist by heart and a school teacher by training, Nurak said he gave up the latter to devote his full attention to sculpting and song writing.

"Then, I tried to design a water pump that would surmount deep ravines and hills."

He said he first drafted the design of his water pump in 1986. A year later he began collecting scraps of iron to build the pump.

"The villagers were astonished that the machine was able to pump water despite a declivity of 60 degrees and elevation of 270 meters," Nurak said as quoted by Antara.

Friends urged him to register his invention at the Jakarta patent office, where he was told to get an international patent in The Hague.

A South Korean company has subsequently offered to buy the patented device, called S Nurak's Pump, for Rp 3.5 billion.

But Nurak said he was reluctant to sell the patent for less than it was worth.

"I am looking for somebody willing to buy it for Rp 6 billion or 7 billion." (mds)