A pump with a difference

For years now, farmers in the country have been grappling with massive power cuts that affect their crops due to lack of irrigation. Coming to their rescue are Class XII students of Sri Gayatri Junior College Girls, Bachupally, A. Shruthi Priya, P. Ramya Reddy, M. Aishwariya, S. Nirupama and A. Anunitya, who have come up with a concept of a mechanical water pump which will ensure that farmers will not have to depend on renewable sources of energy to water their crops.

Speaking about the concept, which won at the Teenovators competition conducted by Manipal University in January, Shruthi Priya says, “The mechanical pump works on the principle of repulsion and restoring forces between like poles of a magnet, which assists a moving piston to bring up water.”

It took the team around Rs 4,000 to build a prototype of the project. A fully functional model can be built for Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000, which can work up to five-seven hours at a stretch and pump 30-40 litre of water every hour.

Participating in a competition close to their exams didn’t pose a threat to the girls as they built the working model for the finals during their Sankranti holidays.

“But, unfortunately, the working model broke down during our journey to Bengaluru. And that’s when our mentor, Bhanu Potta from Microsoft helped us a lot by explaining the situation to the judges so that we could carry on in the competition,” says Shruthi Priya.

Soon after their competitive exams are over, the students plan on approaching their college authorities to be able to reach out and introduce the idea to farmers.