Indian man spends 27 years digging a pond alone

World
Europe

An Indian man was hailed as a local hero by single-handedly digging out a water pond in the drought-driven village of Saja Pahad in Chhattisgarh, India in the past 27 years, according to the Indian media Hindustan Times.

It was reported that the man, Shyam Lal, was only 15-years-old when he first started to solve his village’s water problem. He found a location in the forest nearby – which he decided to dig out a pond so it can collect rainwaters.

Shyam shared the idea with his fellow villagers to search for help but everyone turned him down. So with the help of just a spade, the young man started this tremendous project all by himself.

Lal’s work comes as a relief at a time Chhattisgarh is suffering from drought-like situation this year./Hindustan Times Photo

Now, the area has turned into a 4,000-square-meter and 4.5-meter-deep pond, providing water resources for the villagers, and the 42-year-old Shyam was regarded as a savior in the local communities.

It seems that the man’s exploit was largely remained unknown in the past three decades, and now he turned into a celebrity of the country. “No one helped me in my work, neither the administration nor the villagers,” he told Hindustan Times. It was also said that local authorities also came to the village to acknowledge his work.

Chhattisgarh is facing some of its most severe droughts, with 10% less rainfall than the average of the last 10 years.

3878km