At 24 years, Bobita Soren has dug a 15-feet well inside her house so that her 50-year-old ailing mother has access to water.
The nearest water source in Soren’s village is about 200 metres away. It is common for people to walk all the way to the water source several times a day and then stand in the queue for 30 minutes to fetch water.
‘My mother Nina Soren suffers from anemia and is very weak. Since I was a child I used to see her work very hard to fetch water. I used to feel very sad. She had to walk under the scorching sun and stand in the queue to bring water. I was trying to come up with a permanent solution. Suddenly, it struck me that I can dig a well,’ Hindustan Times quoted Soren as saying.
Currently pursuing B.Ed in Burdwan district, Soren has also completed an MA in Political Science.
She had started digging the well at the end of last year but had to leave it midway to return to her hostel.
With the college and hostel closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown, Soren returned home and completed digging the well.
‘My father and brother tied the ropes tightly with the help of which I used go down every day and dig whenever I got time from household chores. This continued for the last two to three weeks, till I hit the water table. Sometimes my sister helped me to bring out the soil but she had her job to sustain,’ she said.
Soren, who is usually tasked with all the paperwork of her family, had initially considered contacting the village panchayat but then decided against the idea since her family would not be able to bear the cost. Also because of the lockdown, labourers were not available and it would take time.
Hapna Soren, her father works in a local factory, while her brother is a driver. Her elder sister works in a local garment shop.
As the news of her extraordinary feat spread, senior officials of the local administration rushed to her house on June 28.
‘We were awestruck when we saw the well. We have assured that the administration will dig the rest and make it a 30-feet deep well so that they can get proper drinking water and make it a concrete one. We will also pay her the amount it takes to dig a well. Within this week she will get a laptop and we are also trying to give her a job,’ said Tapas Banerjee, MLA and chairman of the Asansol Durgapur Development Authority.
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