Devidas Deshpande
The Coronavirus has forced the entire world in the confines of four walls. The situation has left many people perplexed as to what to do in this time. However, a labourer couple from Vidarbha, the region most known for water scarcity and farmers’ suicide, has done unthinkable. The couple dug a well in the premise of their home all by themselves.
Gajanan Pakmode and his wife Pushpa live in the Karkheda village of Manora taluka in Washim district. They have demonstrated what the willpower and perseverance can achieve. Gajanan, who works as a masonry labourer, was forced to remain in the home as the lockdown was declared in the district. With time in their hand, they decided to utilise it to resolve their problem of water. Within 21 days of their decision, they managed to dig 25 feet deep well within the premise of their house. And as providence helps the brave, the well is now filled with water.
There is a water supply scheme for 28 villages including Karkheda in this area. However, the scheme remains mostly non-functioning and even the pipeline was destroyed owing to the road work. Therefore, the water problem has become acute in the area. The problem became severe when the curfew was imposed and administration barred people from moving even in search of water.
With this predicament in mind, the couple had a talk and started the work. “I asked my wife to perform a ‘puja’ & then we started digging. Our neighbours ridiculed us but we continued and we continued the digging as we got time. On the 21st day, we hit the water,” Pakmode told the media.
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