Women in Maharashtra's Cholmukh village have to go down into wells to get water in hot summers
Jun 16, 2024
Nashik (Maharashtra) [India], June 16 : Residents of Cholmukh village in Nashik district are grappling with a water crisis, which compels them to undertake dangerous measures in search of water.
The severity of the situation was portrayed as villagers, predominantly women, descended into a deep polluted well to fetch water amidst scorching heat.
"We need water every day but there is no water in our village. All the women risk their lives to fetch water from the well for this reason. We have been facing water scarcity here for 2 years," said one of the women who went down the well to fetch the water.
The dire conditions have pushed the villagers to extreme measures, where fetching water has become a perilous daily ritual.
Another resident said, "We live in Nashik district and there is no water in our village. Every day, some woman or the other climbs down into the well because there has been no rain, hence there is no water. In doing so, they risk their lives to fetch water from the well."
The situation underscores the widespread impact of the prolonged drought in the region, exacerbated by the absence of rainfall over the region.
"This water problem has been going on for the past 5 years. By the time May arrives, even the water in the well gets completely depleted. If there is no rain from above, there is no water here," said a villager.
Highlighting the daily struggles faced by the villagers, a young girl said, "It takes two hours just to fetch two pots of water. The whole village comes to fetch water because there is no water here. Sometimes there are even fights. We have to go about one kilometre to fetch water."
The water is also polluted which will lead to health problems in nearing future.
As the scorching summer intensifies, the plight of these villagers highlights the pressing need for immediate attention and solutions to alleviate their suffering.
