Approximately 30km north of the town of Srikakulam in the province of Andhra Pradesh, the local NGO Rural Self Development Trust (RISDT, www.risdt.org) runs a farm which serves to train local farmers in ecology and sustainable agriculture. On the farm, an orchard is cultivated on an area of approximately 100’000m2. To irrigate the plantation three wells have been sunk and equipped with pumps, which are powered by mains electricity. The local power grid is subject to strong fluctuations and thus – especially in the dry summer months – a regular irrigation of the plantation is not always guaranteed. This has a negative impact on the yield of the plantation.
Project Overview
The project planned to replace the pumps and upgrade the irrigation system. Two solar-powered underwater pumps were installed (head: 110m, power 3.4kW per pump), which could be operated independently from the unstable power supply. In addition, the construction of a storage tank with a capacity of 100m3 and the renovation and expansion of the entire irrigation network were scheduled.
Involved Actors
- NGO Rural Self Development Trust (http://www.risdt.org)
- Engineers without borders Switzerland, IngOG+
Responsibilities of IngOG+
- Concept studies
- Execution project
- Fundraising
- Technical support during the construction phase