Goa: 74-year-old man digs well in water-starved Loliem, wins biodiversity award; check details
The community, which consists of 20 to 25 dwellings, is located far from any natural water sources. Balkrishna stated, "I decided to start working on a step-well," and with the exception of the occasional set of assisting hands, he used his own funds to dig the well.
FollowBalkrishna Ayya, a 74-year-old from Loliem, Canacona, and 80-year-old Rukmini Pandurang Naik from Bagwada, Khandola were on Tuesday (May 23) presented with the state biodiversity awards as Balkrishna single-handedly built a well to end the thirst of his community Hundolle-Madditalap in Loliem, Rukmini.
Balkrishna, for most of his life, worked as a sculptor and art teacher in a school. He is alsi a traditional healer, would, until recently, go to her patients' homes to save them from snake bites. But it was around 10-12 years ago that he began noticing his hamlet's struggle to get clean drinking water, and decided that he could not depend on anyone else for a solution.
The community, which consists of 20 to 25 dwellings, is located far from any natural water sources. Balkrishna stated, "I decided to start working on a step-well," and with the exception of the occasional set of assisting hands, he used his own funds to dig the well.
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As Balkrishna hit the water around 40m deep, many thought he had hit the jackpot for his family. But then he did the unthinkable, he installed a pump and began laying a pipeline to supply the water to other houses that were without water supply.
"It was no short of a miracle for the people living in such a dry area. He continued extending the pipeline until around 20 to 25 homes were covered," said Dattaprasad Prabhugaonkar from the Loliem village panchayat.
Villagers said that Balkrishna's work extends far beyond providing water to his hamlet. He also visits any home on request and helps them graft full-grown mango trees to help improve the quality of the fruit.
Like Balkrishna, Rukmini also works without ever asking for or anticipating recompense. Rukmini saw that her elderly father-in-law was a highly sought-after traditional healer not long after she was married from Savoi-Verem to a residence in Bagwada, Khandola, at the age of 19.
"Within a year or two, my father-in-law would request me to help him grind the medicinal shoots and roots to make the medicine, as he was too frail. My husband, being a farmer, was mostly in the fields, and was too busy to learn from hisfather. So, when my fatherin-law passed away, people would come knocking asking me to give them medicines," Rukmini said.
From snake bites of all kinds to skin rashes and wounds, Rukmini offers her help, never charging fees, only accepting whatever is offered.
