MP: Villagers of Patapur walk miles in rocky terrain to fetch water
May 27, 2020
Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh) [India], May 27 : Villagers of Patapur in Chhatarpur District of Madhya Pradesh are forced to walk long distances along rocky terrain in intense heat to fetch water.
This is due to the fact that the village has only one tube well, which is not able to meet the needs of its inhabitants.
This means that there is no option for the women and elderly men but to walk kilometers through difficult rocky paths in this scorching heat to fetch water from nearby natural streams.
"In order to fetch water, we have to walk kilometers along rocky terrains to reach water streams. There is no route and it is very dangerous. We request the administration to arrange water facilities in our village. Since this village was set up, people have been facing this problem. But, nothing has been done," said Barelal, a villager.
"We walk two to four kilometers to fetch water and it takes around two to three hours. The entire family goes to fetch water, and we spend most of our time doing that," said Maniram, another villager.
"We have to go down to the trench to get water. The water there gets infected by insects too. Even if bore wells are dug, they give insufficient water which is a major problem for us all," said Paramlal, a villager.
"Our main concern is safety. We are scared that someone might get hurt while crossing the rocky terrain. The entire day goes in collecting water. The entire family has to go, and we have no choice as we need water. We have received no help from the administration so far, and we hope that the issue is resolved so that the children don't face similar problems in the future," said Ramdulari, another villager.
The Zila Panchayat CEO said that the concerned authorities have been directed to submit a report so that the issue can be resolved at the earliest.
