KENKU, 50, hurries back to her hut after drawing about eight buckets of water. While she was drawing the precious liquid from the depths of the heated bowels of Rajasthan's dry earth, six other women had kept her company, vigorously drawing their own share of water.
Kenku rushes back to apply ointment over the burnt skin of her neighbour's son. The little boy, who constantly cries in pain, has sustained severe burns after a pot of boiling milk fell on his right leg.
His mother is probably kilometres away, working at a construction site. Medical facilities are scarce, which has worsened the wound. Water is scarce too, forcing Kenku to ration the quantity of water she can use to regularly clean the wound.
In Ramdev Nagar village in western Barmer, water is a precious commodity carefully utilised for drinking, cooking and feeding cattle, but seldom for cleaning and washing.
In the Sheo constituency's Thar desert pocket, Ramdev Nagar, located in Rohidaala gram panchayat, showcases the severe water crisis afflicting Rajasthan's more densely populated pockets.
Desperate cries for water begin before the break of dawn and continue till noon. Groups of women in and around villages, to date, walk for hours to fetch water.
The bedis (borewell) built by the government dry up in summer. The tanka constructed for holding rainwater are often caked with silt deposits, which make water unpalatable in the hot season, when the tank runs shallow.
The big tanks, built at a few kilometres' distance, often run dry as authorities fail to replenish them. Reverse Osmosis machines with instructive government slogans on the importance of water, lie locked up in a state of disuse. Walking to the neighbouring village-dominated by upper-castes-for water, too poses another set of caste-oriented challenges.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 21, 2023 من Outlook.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 21, 2023 من Outlook.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
The Muslim Question
In the time of polarisation politics and othering, how to respond to the banality of hate?
Voters' Cold Wave
Heat wave, voter apathy and cyclic migration are blamed for the poor voter turnout in Bihar. Political parties are clueless about what impact will it have on election results
Occupy Ivy League
Students protesting in American universities are asking the US government to rethink its policy towards Israel
Left Side Story
Personal attacks, lower voter turnout and the BJP’s determined campaigning: how has Kerala voted this time?
Across the Pir Panjals
The newly carved-out constituency of Anantnag-Rajouri is set to witness a very close contest
Gashes in the Red Sand
Residents of the tribal district of Gadchiroli resist development models that destroy the environment
When Taps and Hope Run Dry
Peaking water scarcity and pervasive groundwater contamination have increased migration from many districts of Rajasthan.
Pilgrim's Politics
Two-time MP from Varanasi, Narendra Modi, is sculpting the eternal city in his image
Under The Model Town
Muslim ghettos in Ahmedabad are dilapidated and neglected
The Master Strategist
The Assam chief minister enjoys popularity both as an administrator and a politician despite his relentless anti-Muslim rhetoric