Drought, Indian Women Descending A 30 Feet Deep Well Without Stairs To Grab A Drink

Illustration of a drought in Ladakh, India. (Wikimedia Commons/Christopher Michel)

JAKARTA - A number of women in India have been forced to climb up and down 30-feet wells without ladders, to fetch water amid the drought in several areas of the country.

Several states in India, including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and others are facing a water crisis and facing a heatwave, with maximum temperatures exceeding 45 degrees Celsius. There are no signs of the rainy season coming anytime soon.

Videos of women descending 30-foot wells to fetch drinking water in drought-affected areas of Madhya Pradesh have gone viral, prompting social media users to urge the state government to provide immediate assistance.

The residents of Dheemartola village, located in Dindori District, risked their lives to reach the bottom of the well which was almost dry. After their jars and utensils made of clay were filled with the help of small cups, they were pulled by others using ropes.

According to reports, the village has three wells, two of which have completely dried up, and one still has some water from an underground source.

Rudiya Bai, a woman in the village, told ANI that villagers even went down to the well in the middle of the night to fetch water.

Although the head of Madhya Pradesh state Shivraj Singh Chouhan has ensured the installation of hand pumps in several drought-prone zones under the "Nal Se Jal" ("Service From the Faucet") scheme, the location is quite far from the village.

Villagers say it is the distance that forces them to choose the risky way to get water. While drought-like situations occur every year during the summer, villagers claim the government has failed to solve the water problem.

Accusing the government of making false promises each time to get votes during the ballot, the villagers have decided not to cast their ballots until their problems are solved once and for all.

"When we had problems, no one came. However, when they wanted votes, they would rush to us. We will not cast our votes now until we get water," said one resident.

#MadhyaPradesh

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— Vishnukant (@vishnukant_7) June 2, 2022