Khandwa: Amidst coronavirus outbreak in the country, Indians in rural areas are coming with new “jugad” every day that enables them to fight against deadly COVID-19.
People of small Mandwa village, situated about 35-kilometre away from district headquarters have come up with one such jugad where people have developed a foot-operable washbasin that would come handy in the fight against COVID-19. This set-up helps people avoid any contact with the water source or the soap dispenser by hand. The footage shows how this is easily operated using legs. Villagers have named their jugad as “Tappi Naal” or foot-operated washbasin set-up.
Villagers' jugad surprised many in the town as they don’t have resources, they don’t have equipment available as in the town or cities, but one thing they had is passion and diligence and that helped them to overcome the pandemic.
Villagers have assembled this “Tappi Naal” at different places in the village and every person coming to the village from outside, first sanitizes themselves using this foot-operated set-up and then only goes to their respective houses.
District panchayat chief executive officer Roshan Kumar Singh informed that the majority of villagers are involved in brick making, construction work or jobs available under MGNREGA, where they hardly get water and sanitizer to sanitize themselves after work.
As the pandemic is going on, some aware villagers have decided to overcome the problem with the resources they had. They arranged sanitizer bottles and put “Tappi Naal”, at different places in the village to ensure no villager is allowed to come inside the village without proper sanitisation.
This jugad has helped them to earn applause from all round the corner. The village which falls under Pandhana janpad panchayat is now looking to encourage other villages to follow the same with more refined version of “Tappi Naal”.
