Seven years ago, farmer Arshad Ali started digging a tube well in Charanwala village in the Nachana area of Jaisalmer district, about 50 km from the border with Pakistan. At the depth of 560 feet, he struck water - so forcefully did it flow out that it was impossible to stop it. Today, his fields remain flooded and he has been draining water into nearby fields too.

Ali says his experience is not unique. Across a 60 sq km area in the district, water seems to be flowing in abundance, he said. The pressure of the flow has not diminished with time. Pipes would burst if attempts were made to control the flow. A similar gush of water flowed into the fields of Ismail Khan, who also lives in the same area.

At least 10 tube wells have been dug in the area, and water has been gushing out with great force. At Poonam Nagar in Jaisalmer, villagers have decided to build a temple at the spot. However, at a time when 33 crore people in the country reel under drought and water is enormously scarce in many parts, the government has done little to test or harness the water gushing out of such 'springs'.