Watching the fellow farmers struggle while carrying heavy pumps for irrigation, Ganesh designed a hybrid cycle that solves the issue at affordable rate. Pump on Wheels can carry heavy weights, costs just Rs. 1,400 and also enables Ganesh to earn a good monthly revenue by renting it out.
Ganesh Kumar Singh from Purnea saw farmers struggling with transportation of heavy pumpsets from their homes to the farm for irrigation. The average pump would weigh around 60 kgs and would often cause back injuries and bad body posture. If a vehicle was used to carry these pumps, it would damage the crops, leading to bigger troubles.
That is when Singh thought to design something that can solve the daily problem. A mechanic by profession, he was clueless about his next step but he was sure that he has to come up with something that can simplify the tedious task of carrying heavy machinery.
He then saw a cycle and an idea stuck his mind. “I thought if I can modify the cycle in a way that the pumps can be attached to it and carried easily,” he says.
After many trial and errors he came up with an innovation Pump On Wheels, a hybrid cycle using the front part of a bicycle and the rear part of a scooter.
The slim design enables the farmers to easily ride it even on the narrow paths between the farms without damaging the crops. Strong base and a big surface area of the rear scooter tyre provide stability and strength during the running of the pump.
The weight of the machine is around 75 Kgs which includes weight of the pump of 6o Kgs. Singh divided the back of the old cycle and connected the skeleton of the pump with help of 4 inch iron pipe. For smoother movement and sustain heavy vibrations, larger ball bearings were installed in place of original bearings of the scooter.
“As I didn’t have any experience in this field, I had to be totally dependent upon the welder nearby. I would take the machine to him every now and then for modifications,” he says.
After a few changes, his innovation was ready to be tested on ground and it worked perfectly.
Watching Singh’s success, many neighbouring farmers got inspired from this technology and started creating their own Pumps on Wheels.
But the turn came when Bihar Innovation Forum’s JEEViKA programme recognized his innovation and supported him to take the technology further. With their support he got more confidence and recognition. He started taking it seriously and made many such Pumps on Wheels.
He started manufacturing them and has sold around 40 such machineries so far at a price of Rs.1,400-Rs.1,600. The device can also be rented out and the average rent for leasing a pump is Rs 70 per hour exclusive of labour cost and diesel.
From this machine, Singh manages to earn a profit of around Rs.300 per day.
Also, the easy mobility of pumps has also increased the efficiency of irrigation along with saving the time.
“I guess if I get right resources and a good is willing to take this model and work on it, it can be more efficient and help farmers at a large scale,” says Singh.
He wants to further enhance the technology but for that he needs some financial and technical support which he lacks currently.
“I repair vehicles and I serve around 300-400 customers, I suggest them to use the machine too and they are happy with the performance,” says Singh.
A small innovation helping farmers save damage to the crop and feel ‘mobile’ when it comes to irrigation needs.
Posted by Roots of Innovations on Tuesday, February 11, 2014
It is amazing how a simple idea can solve the biggest problem. Thanks to Singh and his innovation, many farmers can meet the irrigation needs of their farms without any hassle.
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