How Solar-Powered Pumping Station Changed the Lives of Remote Kashmiri Villages

Life in Pummel, a remote village in the Kashmiri mountains 5,600 feet above sea level, can be nothing short of idyllic. Situated on the north-western stretch of the Himalayan mountains, its breath-taking landscape speaks for itself.

But for villagers like Hujjat Qayoom, its beauty also brings arduous challenges. Clean drinking water is scarce. “We don’t have drinking water supplied to our homes. We need to go and get it ourselves,” says Hujjat. “Every day, we need to queue to manually hand-pump clean water into our empty containers. The whole process can take hours. It’s tiring work, and being away for hours at a time means someone else has to look after our children and families.

Hujjat’s story isn’t unique. It’s a daily struggle for the 50,000 other villagers living in the region.

But last year, a team of engineers from Grundfos, in association with channel partner M/s SIAB Surgiments, were asked to come up with a solution. At first, electric water pumps seem like the obvious answer, but the erratic local electricity supply makes them all but useless.

The team had a more sustainable answer in mind: a solar-powered pumping station, delivering a reliable, low-maintenance solution that helps residents reclaim several hours a day.

“Now, with the installation of the solar pump, we are back in just 10 minutes,” says Hujjat. “We have more time to spend with our families, to teach our children and more time to work and earn money.”

“...now, with the installation of the solar pump, we are back in 10 minutes. We have more time to spend with our families...” - Hujjat Qayoom, Resident of Kashmir Valley
 

- Grundfos Case Study on Pummel, Kashmir Valley