RANCHI: Troubled by water crisis in his village, an ex-army man has dug up three ponds and a well on his own at Maharaiganj in Dhanbad district of Jharkhand. According to Bholanath Singh, 65, he took the decision looking as the villagers were not been able to do farming properly due to water scarcity and women had to fetch water from distance places.
“When I returned after after serving in the Army, I observed that there was acute crisis of water in the village. I decided to do something for the villagers so that they don’t have to face the water crisis in future,” Singh said.
One fine morning, he took a shovel, spade and a digging bar, and started digging the ground on his own. After three months of hard work every day, source of water appeared which further encouraged him to dig up further up to 25 feet.
“Now, there is a 100 x 40 feet pond which is fulfilling the water requirement of the 10 households living in the hamlet,” said Singh. Though, the pond has been constructed on his own land, it is meeting the water requirement of nearly 500 people living in the village, he added.
Singh informed that he started the digging work in 2010 and took around him three years to dig the first pond, while it took him two years to dig the second one. He is now working on a third pond, which is largest among all, in 2015 which still continues. According to Singh he takes out 6-8 hours of time daily to work on his passion.
“Efforts are being made to make it deeper and wider so that the villagers do not have to face water crisis even in summers,” said Singh. In between, he has also dug a well in the village. Though, the block officials assured him to provide financial help for encirclement of the well, but the money never reached to him.