When Taps and Hope Run Dry

Peaking water scarcity and pervasive groundwater contamination have increased migration from many districts of Rajasthan.

- Vikram Raj

IN the scorching April sun, 33-year-old Ratna draws water from an underground water tank with her 11-month-old son in her lap. Merely drawing water from the manmade tank at the nondescript Rotoo village in Rajasthan’s Nagaur district, does not put an end to her chore. She hurries back home, located about 300 metres away, with a water-laden bucket in one hand and the child in the other, while at the same time, supervising the whitewashing of her house.  

“Last year, the state government installed taps in our homes, but we still don’t have access to water. This water tank was built by my father-in-law a few years ago. We have to pay Rs 1,500 to the water vendors who fill up these tanks,” she says.  

Rajasthan, synonymous with deserts and an arid landscape, has historically been confronted with water shortage, but the issue has peaked over the last few years. According to Rajasthan’s Disaster Management Relief and Civil Defence Department, districts like Bikaner, Churu and Nagaur are affected by drought once every four years. But more recently, a dearth of seasonal rainfall has accentuated the crisis in these northern districts. Peaking water scarcity and pervasive groundwater contamination, leading to excessive fluoride levels, have also increased the migration of human resource.