Projects: Solar Power Pump
Water is life. And at Whispering Waters, securing a reliable, renewable source of water for our permaculture farm was not just a practical necessity.
Water is life. And at Whispering Waters, securing a reliable, renewable source of water for our permaculture farm was not just a practical necessity. It was central to our vision of sustainable, self-sufficient living in harmony with nature.
In May 2022, we applied under the Government of India's PM Kusum Yojana, the Maha Krushi Urja Abhiyan, a scheme designed to help farmers transition to clean, solar-powered irrigation. Our application was for a 3 HP off-grid solar submersible borewell pump at our farm in Dhokshet, Raigad. The approval came swiftly. Payment was made. A vendor was selected, with installation promised within days.
And then, nothing.
The assigned vendor refused to supply. What followed was five months of follow-up: phone calls, reminder emails, handwritten letters, physical visits to the MEDA office in Pune. At every step we were met with cold responses and non-committal answers.
Sunlight to Shared Strength - Solar Power Project
It took a formal grievance to the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra for things to finally move. And move they did, quickly. Which only underscores a quiet irony: a simple 3 HP pump installation under an approved government scheme should not need to travel that far to get done.
The pump has been running steadily for over three years now. What it yields, around 1,500 to 1,700 litres a day, may sound modest. But through carefully designed drip irrigation, that water sustains nearly an acre of food forest along with the community's everyday needs. A small reminder that in the right hands, even limited resources go a long way.
The sun was always there. We simply had to be stubborn enough to use it.
