— Attachment Content: Alone_with_spade_Farmer_digs_29-ft_well_in_6_Months.docx —Divy Khare|TNNBokaro: Working alone with a spade and shovel for six months, farmer Ganesh Mahto (46) of Bagda village in Kasmar block dug a 29-foot-deep irrigation well to save his parched fields.What began as desperation over failing crops and lack of irrigation became a personal mission as Mahto kept digging day after day under the harsh sun, despite physical strain and financial hardship.Mahto belongs to a financially weak farming family that survives on small-scale agriculture, manual labour and selling street snacks in local markets. His struggle for irrigation water began after a long-standing arrangement to use a neighbour’s well collapsed due to a family dispute, leaving his farmland without a reliable water source.In December 2025, he picked up a spade and began digging on his own well. Working in harsh conditions, he slowly carved out what would become a 29-foot-deep irrigation well. The backbreaking effort continued for nearly six months.What makes the feat more striking is the absence of proper construction material. Due to financial constraints, Mahto could not afford adequate cement or sand. The brick lining of the well was completed using locally prepared mud mortar. At one point, even iron rods were out of reach until local support arrived. Sukdev Mahto, a resident of the same village, stepped in by providing around ten iron rods to help with the construction work.“The absence of any alternative water source for my farmland pushed me to take this step of creating a well on my own. Every stroke of the spade was a fight against helplessness,” Ganesh said. “I had no option left. If I didn’t do it myself, my fields would remain dry forever,” he added.“We have never seen such determination. He worked like a machine without losing hope,” said Manoj Kumar, a village resident.Villagers said no assistance under govt schemes like MGNREGA reached Mahto on time. DC Bokaro Ajay Nath Jha said, “As soon as this came to my notice I have asked the local block officer to inquire and send me the report. We are seriously looking into the matter.”
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