Two Men Heat and Join Plastic Pipes by Hand to Build Low Cost Irrigation Systems

Two men are in a field working with two separate pipe sections while using a torch to heat one end. What are they actually doing? At first glance, people passing by might think he's just messing around, randomly burning pipes. But this is actually a technique that supports irrigation systems used by hundreds of millions of farmers across India. Small-scale farming makes up a huge portion of agriculture there. A professional pipe welding machine can cost more than what a farmer earns in months. So, local plumbers came up with a fully manual solution. They heat the end of a plastic pipe until it softens, then manually widen it. Another pipe is quickly inserted inside. As it cools, the material contracts and locks tightly in place.