Summer is in and everyone wants something cool. Starting from cold water to milk to ice-cream and what not! Life revolves around refrigerator even as the mercury level soars. Ever thought of those who cannot afford refrigerators?
I remember drinking cool water from mud pots fitted with a stainless steel tap, during childhood in my village. With a renewed interest in eco-friendly ways of living, mud pots may soon be in demand.
How about using these earthen pots for storing fruits and vegetables that perish quickly in hot climate? M G Satyanarayana, a farmer in Sullia Taluk in Dakshina Kannada has been experimenting this concept for a while now and has designed an eco-friendly equipment. He had exhibited the product at a machinery expo held recently in Puttur.
This pot-in-pot refrigerator is commonly used in African countries. “I am trying to adopt this ingenious technology to our situation”, he said. After several efforts to get the right kind of pot, he got the suitable ones from the potters in Kolar who have the expertise in manufacturing tandoori ovens.
He has named this natural refrigerator as Tamage. It consists of two earthenware pots, one set inside another, with a layer of sand in between. The sand layer has to be watered (one cup water) once a day to retain the moisture. As the moisture evaporates, the inner pot gets cooled. Thus, the inside temperature remains 15o C less than the outside temperature.
This simple equipment can keep vegetables and fruits fresh for about 21 days. The capacity of the equipment is 10 kg and costs a little more than thousand rupees.
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