Village in MP's Chhatarpur faces woes, locals say 60 pc youth unmarried due to water crisis

Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh) [India], May 21 : It is a remote village in Bundelkhand's Chhatarpur district which is facing an acute water crisis. Villagers have to trudge through a forest to reach a small and dirty 'jhiria' to fetch water and the crisis over the years has led to several unwelcome consequences for the locals with youth finding it difficult to get brides.
Locals in Maharkhuwa village of Beharwara gram panchayat, about 120 km from Chhatarpur district, said that the struggle for water is a prime concern in their daily lives. Chhatarpur district is in Bundelkhand region of the state.
They said about 60 per cent of the youth are unmarried as people do not want to marry their daughters in the village due to acute water problem.
The locals said they have to quench their thirst by taking dirty water from "jhiriya (a very small reservoir)" that has been slowly formed in the middle of the forest. They said the water problem has persisted for decades.
"Many families have migrated due to water problem and harsh conditions. We have to fetch water by walking about two-three kilometres through the forest. Due to fear of wild animals, we can go to jhiriya only from about 9 am to 4 pm. It takes long hours to bring water in small containers. We wash our clothes there and the water from the same source meets our driniking needs," Ashok Vishwakarma, a local resident, said.
"There are no roads, and we can't even use bicycles. We and our cattle drink the same contaminated water, which is infested with germs. Nobody wants to marry their daughters in this village. During elections, candidates promise water, but once they win, they forget about us. I urge the government to at least provide water facilities," he added.
Gajaraja Singh, another local resident, said there has always been a water crisis but the situation has worsened recently.
"There is no arrangement of water. This area is suffering due to the water crisis. Politicians come here to seek votes, but no one makes any arrangements for us... This problem has persisted for many years.. We have to cross a rocky and risky path to get water and get injured sometimes "
A woman said they are not visited by relatives due to water problem.
"Dirty water is the reason why many relatives don't visit us. We want proper drinking water facilities."
Locals said that while the two hand-pumps in the village have dried the tubewell got burnt.
Bijawar MLA Rajesh Shukla said he has written letters to officials highlighting the problems of villagers concerning water.
He said the water problem in the region is not new and he will urge the state government to tackle it.
An official of the PHE Department said they were making efforts to take the government schemes to the village to help tackle problems related to water.