India: Girl’s solution to power deaths impresses experts

From the Deccan Chronicle: Girl’s solution to power deaths impresses experts
An award winning science exhibit prepared by S. Rajitha, a Class IV student of state-run ZPSS Chintyhanekkond in Parvathagiri mandal, is generating curiosity among scientific community for the solution it offers in preventing electrocution of farmers during crop watering operation at odd hours.

An award winning science exhibit prepared by S. Rajitha, a Class IV student of state-run ZPSS Chintyhanekkond in Parvathagiri mandal, is generating curiosity among scientific community for the solution it offers in preventing electrocution of farmers during crop watering operation at odd hours.

Her exhibit titled ‘The Timer System for home appliances’ recently took her to Delhi to compete at the department of science and technology (DST)-organised national science exhibition for schoolchildren called Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) in 2011 and again when it was exhibited at the District Science Centre, Warangal, on the occasion of National Science Day on February 28.

“I got the idea of the model as my aunt Siraboina Poolamma was electrocuted accidentally while she switched on the electric motor to water her 2-acre crop in Parvathagiri mandal seven years ago,” said Rajita, whose model has invited queries from DST officials after her participation at the national level. While manually operated motor-switching is the normal trend followed by farmers during watering crops, her model uses an aluminum-fitted clock, which is wired to the motor.

As the electricity department often gives free power to farmers in two or three spells often at odd hours in the night to cut down on evaporation of water, farmers often have to wait until late hours in their fields for watering the crops.

However, her model solves this by making the motor run and stop automatically as per the time fixed on the clock without any manual switch on/ switch off operations, which often lead to electrocution of farmers in the night. “Her model needs to be field-tested as it can not only prevent deaths of farmers from electric shocks but also prevent misuse of scarce underground water resources,” said R. Umareddy, an agricultural scientist with the district agricultural advisory and technical transfer centre, Warangal.

It is significant to note that barring the lake irrigation facilities possible at Ramappa, Lakhavaram, Pakal, Ganapavaram and Chelivagu catchment areas in Warangal, the rest of the paddy-irrigated areas are cultivated only through underground water sources requiring manual operation of electric motors by the farmers.

Last year, 1.31 lakh hectares of land was under paddy cultivation in Warangal