Let It Roll, Baby Roll…

Courtesy: worksofwonder.org

It doesn’t rain enough anywhere anymore. Every year I read stories about how it hasn’t rained enough this year. Looks like Bangalore’s natural air conditioners have gone dry. The clouds have forgotten the route may be. When I was living in the Malwa plateau, where water woes have been even before I understood what water was, I used to watch women and men, children and old folk queue up at the only water source in the locality. Municipality taps would run water once in few days and that morning would be treated as witness to a miracle.

When we moved to Civil Lines, a better locality, my grand dad got a bore-well done in the new bungalow. Now we were supplying water to the low income group in that area. Not to mention that our neighbours were also given a generous share of water. I remember seeing those Bheel women and children coming over to the tank which, my grand dad got installed near our house, everyday to fill up their cans or pots. There was certainly some irritation involved when the taps were taken away or when they would pester at all hours to start the pump so that they can fill up their daily essential.

What never occurred to us was the ordeal those people had to face every day in carrying water from the tank or whichever source to their shelter on their heads. The path was not tarred and rains made it muddier. The water would spill overhead thus giving the water bearers an unwanted bath. In extreme conditions, like Rajasthan or Africa, villagers walk for kilometers together to fetch water. Spillage has to be avoided at all costs but the effort remains huge. Carrying load on the head is definitely a severe pain in the neck.

What if they could find water in their houses and did not have to walk so much for this basic need? Well rather too hopeful, because in many remote areas, water sources are scarce, but their effort would be reduced to minimum if they could push water in a cart or simply their vessels.

Hippo Water Roller is one such innovation. A simple drum like structure with a handle attached, which can be used to push or pull. This is turning out to be good for the Africans for carrying water to their homes. They roll the water through the fields and the roads and avoid spillage while spending lesser energy. The design is simple and carries 24 gallons of water inside it – enough to serve a small family. Another good thing is that it is designed such that storing and drawing water is quick and easy.

Though it is made from a strong, lightweight plastic, Hippo Roller might not be easy to roll on extreme terrains. On rough or rocky ground, or for that matter in deserts, the terrain would offer a lot of resistance thus increasing the effort. There is scope for another innovation, and it is already underway. With support from some organizations, the manufacturers are working on a newer version of this product.

At this point, like me, you must also be thinking of the possibilities it has in India and other developing nations. A collaboration for technology and the setting up of a manufacturing unit locally will further reduce the cost from $90. Maybe the existing synthetic water tank industry can take a cue and initiate a process of giving back to the society by coming up with a local version of Hippo. I am already tempted to name it Haathi Water Roller.

A simple and fat-like Hippopotamus idea has gone a long way in helping out a number of people and making a difference in their lives. And the count must increase.

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