Tuesday, December 30, 2014: Koraput district administration has installed 122 solar power-based pumping systems this financial year in order to provide potable piped water in those tribal zones which cannot be reached easily. The solar-powered submersible pumps draw 5000 to 20,000 litre water everyday.
These pumps also operate automatically and water is stored in an overhead tank, as revealed by Executive Engineer (rural supply and sanitation), Koraput, Monaranjan Mali. He also stated that most of the tribal pockets have least population and there is almost nil electricity. That’s why it’s quite difficult to supply piped water to such places. That’s why this solar powered piped water system was conceptualised for those areas which have less than 300 people.
According to officials, a solar array of 300-800W has been set up near a borewell and there is a HP submersible pump also there inside it. Power is generated from photovoltaic solar cells and the pump operates through this power. Mali added that the pump can work for around 7-8 hours. The scheme has been made successful by Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA) while entire funding has been done by the Union government. As per Mali, the solar panel’s longevity is expected around 15-20 years and its operation as well as maintenance costs are also quite low. The project will be looked after by OREDA for initial five years.
