Indian boy, 14, digs well in scorching May heat to prevent mother's river trips to fetch water

About 128 km from Mumbai, often referred to as the financial capital of the world's fifth largest economy, a 14-year-old boy dug a well so that his mother doesn't have to make tiring trips to a rivulet to fetch water.

According to a report by The Times of India, Pranav Ramesh Salkar dug a well for his mother near his hut in Kelve, a sleepy village, earlier this month.

"I am happy aai[mother] will no longer have to do daily trips to the rivulet," Pranav was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

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A Class nine student in a state-funded school nearby, Pranav has turned into a celebrity. He expresses his scepticism over media glare, adding that it will disrupt his daily schedule which entails long walks, climbing trees and watching birds.

Pranav reportedly loves to experiment with things he can lay his hands on. He recently linked solar panels with a motorbike battery to illuminate his hut, The Times of India report added.

How Pranav dug the well?

With a spade, shovel and a small ladder, the 14-year-old began digging a well in the middle of his courtyard against a bunch of tamarind and peepal trees. The boy braved through the scorching May heat while digging the well.

"Pranav would keep scooping out the earth all through the day with a 15-minute lunch break," his father Ramish was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

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The boy's happiness knew no bounds when the clean water began to rush out from the earth into a steady flow. The well is now the family's proud possession.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government began a flagship programme to ensure the availability of water across the rural hinterland of the world's most populous nation. Jal Jeevan Mission is envisioned to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India.

But the state of Maharashtra, where Palghar is located, continues to face a severe water crisis during the ongoing summer months of scorching heat. While parts of the state record very high rainfall, the geological structure does not permit much storage. This region is often referred to as the region of wet droughts.

Experts cite sugarcane farming as the key reason behind this water scarcity as it consumes nearly 60 per cent of the water available through irrigation.

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