The mechanical device has been pumping crystal clear water from a stream at Choladi on the slopes of the Neelagiri hills to a tank erected at the estate bungalow 600 feet above unfailingly since its installation by the original British owner of the property.
A copper plate on the hydram shows that it was made by John Blake Engineers, Accrington, Lancaster, England.
According to Jitendra Jha, the manager of the estate, now owned by Harrison Malayalam Plantation, the pump was brought from England by its then owner Wentworth towards the end of the 19th century.
"Except for normal maintenance or minor nut and bolt problems, no major repair has been required by the pump so far", estate mechanic Marimuthu told PTI.
Explaining its working, Marimuthu, who operates the pump, said water from the fast-flowing stream is first diverted to a tank 100 metres away through an eight-inch pipe.
From the tank it is then routed to the pump through a six inch dial pipe. Four cylinders inside the machine work under the water pressure and pump it up the tank at the bungalow, located at 1.5 km away.
As it is driven by the force of the water, it involves no running cost, fuel or electricity and is most eco-friendly.
