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Solar Water Pumps For Group Irrigation

A social partner organization from Western Maharashtra noted in their recent study that there was nearly 90% reduction in migration in villages where solar pumps have been installed for group irrigation.
One of our social partners in central India conducted a monitoring and evaluation exercise for farmers where solar pumps for group irrigation were installed. They found that 215 farmers who were now able to grow a second and third crop, were able to generate 73 lakh rupees annually (roughly 34,000 rupees per farmer) in additional income.
In 2019, before the group irrigation Project in Tulyachapada, very few farmers used to cultivate 2^nd and 3^rd crops on a very limited patch of land due to the rising costs of diesel needed to run their pumps. Within one year, the number of farmers increased from 11-12 to 108, and the area under cultivation expanded from 6-7 acres to 108 acres.
A partner in Western India stated that after a few installations in the region, the demand for such group irrigation projects has been very robust and farmer groups are very keen to implement the project in their areas.

At social organization Keshav Shrushti in Thane, Gram Oorja’s, the installed biogas plant has been saving the equivalent of 2 commercial LPG cylinders every day since 2015 and continues to function efficiently almost a decade after its installation.
In one of our plants in Maihar, Madhya Pradesh, the use of coal for cooking purposes has come down 90% after the installation of a biogas plant that supplies clean and reliable cooking fuel straight to their kitchens.

In April 2023, Gram Oorja installed a hybrid solar system at Pragati Pratishthan's Jawhar campus, ensuring reliable power for essential equipment like speech training devices, projectors, and computers used by hearing-impaired tribal children, while significantly reducing electricity costs of the institution.
Gram Oorja has provided energy solutions to more than 70 schools, hostels and health centers across the country, especially in areas with scarce or no energy access. These energy access projects have ensured that essential equipment, such as operation theatres and vaccine refrigerators at health centers, and computers and projectors in schools, receive a reliable and continuous power supply.

As per an independent 3^rd party survey, 96% households in solar pump sites in Maharashtra indicated an improvement in water quality while 95% households across all surveyed sites indicated improved sanitation and hygiene. The distance to water sources was reduced to within a 2-minute walk from each household, compared to the many kilometres that women and children previously had to traverse daily to fetch water before the installation of solar pumps