Rajsamand (Rajasthan): Making optimum use of the free time in their hands during the lockdown, a joint family in Rajasthan's Rajsamand manually dug up a well in the courtyard of their house, thus finding their own source of water.
The family, from Upli Odan village, had an old well in their courtyard, which was subsequently blocked due to the sinking earth. During the lockdown, the family decided to utilise their free time and dig further in order to find water underneath the ground.
"We had an old well in the courtyard around 25 years ago. During the lockdown, we had nothing to do, so we thought why not dig further?," said Dayashankar Prajapat, the head of the family.
"All family members contributed, and we did not use machinery to dig. The well is now 25 feet deep, with 10-12 feet of water. We have even provided a tap outside the house for our neighbours," he added.
Prajapat said that the family started work on the well around two weeks after the lockdown was imposed, and finished the job after around 45 days.
While two younger men would do the digging, the rest of the family would remove the mud with the help of buckets. At the depth of around 14 feet, the family found moist mud.
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"We used to work from 9 in the morning to 8 in the night, and take an hour of rest in between. Though we were not very proficient earlier, we started getting better at the digging day by day," said Prajapat's son.
The village sarpanch applauded the efforts of the family, and said that their positive use of time during the lockdown is an example for other villagers to follow.
"The family is well-off and did not necessarily have to do this. But they dug the well on their own. Now they have become atmanirbhar (self reliant) in terms of water," said Suresh Jalaniya, the village sarpanch.
The family's feat has earned them appreciation from all villagers, who now frequently visit their house to get a glimpse of the newly-dug well.
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