70-year-old Odisha tribal man carves canal to bring water to villages

Daitari Naik, a 70-year-old tribal man of Baitarani village under Banspal block of Keonjhar district in Odisha, has carved a kilometre-long canal out of a mountain stream to irrigate farmlands in the absence of such facilities in the region.

Many villages in the forested, mountainous and tribal-dominated blocks of Banspal, Telkoi and Harichandanpur face acute water scarcity. The lack of drinking water leaves no water for irrigation in the region, putting villagers in the mercy of erratic rain for cultivation. In a story startlingly similar to that of Dashrath Manjhi of Bihar — who is fondly, and in reference to the work that he did in breaking down a mountain, called the ‘Mountain Man’ — Naik too has built a canal, which has brought water to his village, by breaking rocks.

“Due to lack of irrigation facilities, we have never been able to farm our land properly. So, together with our family members, we worked for three years to clear rocks and bushes to get water to flow down into our village. Our efforts finally bore fruit last month,” said Naik.


When the district administration could not help the tribals, the people here decided to ensure a permanent solution.

Sudhakar Behera, executive engineer of minor irrigation in Keonjhar, said, “According to reports, Naik has dug a canal to get water from Karatakata Nallah. We will visit his village and take necessary steps to arrange for irrigation water.”