Sendhwa: Women, kids walk miles, waste half their day for a few litres of water

Sendhwa (Madhya Pradesh): At a time when the state government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure every household gets safe and clean drinking water through its much talked about 'Nal Jal Yojana', women and children from the small Julwaniya village of Sendhwa development block in Barwani district have to spend half of their day queuing up in front of water sources for a few litres of water.

They have to walk three to four kilometres daily to get water for their daily requirements and said it has become a way of life for them now.

One Basantibai, narrating her plight while carrying a pair of pots in her hands in search of water said women and children here have to walk miles each day to fetch water under the scorching Sun.

Women in the rural areas are the biggest victims here as the majority of men migrate to other places in search of jobs, she said.

The burden of providing water for the family and the field is taking a heavy toll on our physical and mental health. Yet we have no say in how water is managed or distributed, she added.

A village situated near Sendhwa it is home to more than 267 families.

On an average, women and children here have to walk three to five kilometres a day just to fetch water.

One Dayaram, a local villager told that everyone from the MLA to administrative officials is well aware of their plight as the villagers have raised their problems at every platform, but they only get assurances every time. He added that the village has a couple of wells, but we get water from these wells only during the rainy season and two to three months thereafter.

Another person, Motiram says that they leave bed before 5 am as they have to climb the hills to get water. Though we get muddy water from streams, we don't have any other option to survive here.

When contacted sub-divisional magistrate Tapasya Parihar said that the matter has come to her, she will inspect the village and discuss the matter with the concerned officer and will resolve the problem at the earliest.

Similarly, when contacted Barwani district collector Shivraj Singh Verma said that the matter has come to him now and he has directed the public health engineering (PHE) and forest department that the matter should be resolved quickly.

Meanwhile, Congress MLA Gyarsilal Rawat from Sendhwa admitted that he is aware of the matter and had even arranged for two-three tube-wells to be dug in the village, but there is no water there.

MLA Rawat added that he has arranged for water tankers for Julwania village. To resolve this problem permanently, Julwania has also been taken under the Nal Jal Yojana and villagers there will get sufficient water soon once the scheme is implemented, he said.