Jugaad 101: How A Karnataka Farmer's Unique Water Mill Helped Him Generate Electricity For His House

A farmer from a remote village in Karnataka came up with a sustainable solution to generate electricity for his house.

The farmer named Sidappa used plastic tubs and timber to design the sustainable water mill capable of generating 150 watts of power when water flows in a canal.

Twitter

Siddappa Huljogi's story first surfaced back in 2015. back then he was a resident of Bandemmana Nagar, 7 km from Naragund, which has hardly eight to 10 houses and was denied a Hescom connection over a decade ago.

That's what made him think about other sources of electricity. He then bought three new metal sheets for the windmill and an inverter of 600 W. Shantalinga Swami of Doreswamy Virakta Mutt in nearby Bhairanahatti village, who has been observing Siddappa for the past 15 years, said though he is illiterate, he has a good grasp and power of observation.

After observing the mechanism of watermills from the hills of Naragund, Siddappa came up with his own unique design to generate electricity.

Former India cricketer VVS Laxman shared the story again on Twitter recently.

Incredible- A farmer from rural Karnataka, Siddappa has designed a water mill to generate electricity and operates it in the canal near his house. He spent just Rs. 5,000 on the construction, and gets 150 watts of power from this water mill when water flows in the canal. pic.twitter.com/tFN5JHmqBo

¡ª VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) January 3, 2021

¡°Incredible- A farmer from rural Karnataka, Siddappa has designed a water mill to generate electricity and operates it in the canal near his house. He spent just Rs. 5,000 on the construction, and gets 150 watts of power from this water mill when water flows in the canal,¡± Laxman wrote.

The only obstacle is that canal has water for only few months in a year.
He could generate electricity for the entire village if he could get a regular supply of water through the canal.
Siddappa is an example of how one can bring a larger change without having enough resources

¡ª VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) January 3, 2021

In a follow-up tweet, Laxman wrote that the only obstacle Siddappa might fact is the shortage of water supply as canals get water for only a few months in a year.

However, he added that the design can generate electricity for the entire village if there is regular supply of water through the canal.

Also Read: This Train Turns Methane From Human Waste Into Electricity As Eco-Friendly Fuel

¡°The only obstacle is that canal has water for only a few months in a year. He could generate electricity for the entire village if he could get a regular supply of water through the canal. Siddappa is an example of how one can bring a larger change without having enough resources,¡± wrote the former cricketer.

The mill generates enough power to light up to 10 bulbs of 60 watts and two TV sets. The farmer also claimed that he would be able to generate electricity for his entire village from the machine.

Back in 2017, a man from the village of Kalladikode in Kerala became the saviour when he helped his village during power outages.

Wikimedia

The man named Harinarayanan used a water pump and a dynamo on his bike to generate enough electricity for his household, reported the Better India.

Also Read: IIT Mandi Researcher Builds Road That Can Generate Electricity By Simply Walking

The two-wheeler, an ¡¯82 model diesel bike, was able to generate a day¡¯s requirement of electricity for a house by running its engine for almost an hour in a stationary state. Also, on a litre of diesel, the bike could run up to 82km, being quite cost-effective as well.

Also Read: Thanks To One Man's Innovation, A Jharkhand Village Gets Free Electricity From River Water