Indian civil servant, 3 days with 2 pumps
The depth of the water, which was 4.6m, has been reduced to 1.8m
Controversy over abuse of power… Authorities, Honest Disposition
Rajesh Bishhwas, a food official in a municipality in central India, dropped his cell phone into the water while taking a selfie at a local reservoir on the 21st of this month. His phone, known as a Samsung Electronics smartphone, was a high-end item sold in India for 100,000 rupees (about 1.6 million won). The depth of the reservoir reached 4.6 m.
Vishwas immediately asked for divers and put them into the reservoir. But after failing to find the cell phone, she began draining the reservoir with two 30 horsepower diesel pumps. This water draining operation continued for three days. It was only stopped when the official in charge of the reservoir arrived at the scene after receiving a report. According to the British BBC and local media, the water level was lowered to 1.8m. About 2.1 million liters of water flowed away in the meantime. It was a huge amount to irrigate about 6㎢ of farmland.
As this fact became known, controversy over the abuse of public officials’ authority is fierce in India. The opposition Indian National Party (BJP) criticized, “Residents have to rely on reservoir water to prepare for the summer heatwave, but officials have withdrawn water that can be used for irrigation.”
“I had to retrieve sensitive government data on my phone,” Vishwas said. He explained that he had verbal permission from the official in charge to drain the water,” but local authorities suspended him and launched an investigation. Vishwas eventually succeeded in finding the cell phone. However, it is said that it is not working because he has been submerged in water for more than three days.
India is a water-scarce country with many drought-stricken areas, and some residents have to climb down into wells with ropes to draw water. In addition, the early heatwave in April this year, when the temperature in some areas exceeded 44 degrees, is also a serious condition.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.