As Selvam couldn't cultivate paddy in his farm, he uses water from well to help villagers.
Selvam providing drinking water free of cost to a village near Arcot
Vellore:
Selvam aka Kutty (38) of Mampakkam village near Arcot said that due to the non-availability of water he could not raise paddy crops on his 10 acres of land and that is when this idea stuck him. “As a former panchayat ward member I wanted to supply water but locals told me that this measure would not be enough. It was then that the idea of supplying water free of cost to the needy villages hit me.”
Only a month ago, Selvam started to supply water and till now he has been supplying water regularly to Mampakkam, Sorayur and Melapazhanthai villages. Talking to DT Next Selvam said, “I have a tractor and so I purchased a trailer and two plastic tanks of 1,000 litre capacity for Rs 3,500 each. The plastic tanks are placed on the trailer and filled with water to be taken to needy villages.”
Stating that he was still paying the dues for the tractor loan he said, “As I did not raise any crop on my land I am using the available water in my well to meet the needs of nearby villages.” His wife Rajkumari said, “Everyday he works from the time of sun rise to sun set.”
When asked how he has been meeting the financial needs of this enterprise, he said, “I also own a sound service shop in the village, hence I use the earning from the shop to meet the diesel expenses which works out to around Rs 400 daily.”
Selvam drives the tractor himself and he has three school children as helpers. “As I cannot do all the work by myself the school children are helping me greatly,” he added.
Though villagers were ready to pay Rs 10 per pot, he said that he refused the offer.
“I never thought of making this a commercial venture and I want this to be a social service. I hope that others of an altruistic nature will follow suit,” he explained.
When asked whether he would provide water for other villages also, he said, “I will provide water to whoever wants. However, the traditional practice of the village to not supply water after sunset remains the main constraint.” He said that he plans to continue this service till the monsoon.
Despite water shortage forcing villagers to resort to a road blockade for regular supply of water, a farmer near Arcot has taken up a noble cause of supplying water free of cost to the needy villagers from his own farm well.
Selvam aka Kutty (38) of Mampakkam village near Arcot said that due to the non-availability of water he could not raise paddy crops on his 10 acres of land and that is when this idea stuck him. “As a former panchayat ward member I wanted to supply water but locals told me that this measure would not be enough. It was then that the idea of supplying water free of cost to the needy villages hit me.”
Only a month ago, Selvam started to supply water and till now he has been supplying water regularly to Mampakkam, Sorayur and Melapazhanthai villages. Talking to DT Next Selvam said, “I have a tractor and so I purchased a trailer and two plastic tanks of 1,000 litre capacity for Rs 3,500 each. The plastic tanks are placed on the trailer and filled with water to be taken to needy villages.”
Stating that he was still paying the dues for the tractor loan he said, “As I did not raise any crop on my land I am using the available water in my well to meet the needs of nearby villages.” His wife Rajkumari said, “Everyday he works from the time of sun rise to sun set.”
When asked how he has been meeting the financial needs of this enterprise, he said, “I also own a sound service shop in the village, hence I use the earning from the shop to meet the diesel expenses which works out to around Rs 400 daily.”
Selvam drives the tractor himself and he has three school children as helpers. “As I cannot do all the work by myself the school children are helping me greatly,” he added.
Though villagers were ready to pay Rs 10 per pot, he said that he refused the offer.
“I never thought of making this a commercial venture and I want this to be a social service. I hope that others of an altruistic nature will follow suit,” he explained.
When asked whether he would provide water for other villages also, he said, “I will provide water to whoever wants. However, the traditional practice of the village to not supply water after sunset remains the main constraint.” He said that he plans to continue this service till the monsoon.