Indian women risk their lives to get water

The inhabitants of the village of Gusija are forced to take radical measures since the wells and lakes have dried up

5137 views 1 comment(s)
Illustration, Photo: Shutterstock
Illustration, Photo: Shutterstock
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

The video, which has been widely shared on social media, shows a woman climbing down the walls of a deep well to get water, highlighting the acute shortage in several parts of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

On the tape a woman is seen entering a well without a rope or ladder to reach the water.

The inhabitants of the village of Gusija are forced to make such radical moves since the wells and lakes have dried up.

A similar crisis in water supply has hit several other regions in India.

Videos showing Indians risking their lives to get water are going viral.

One of them, from April, shows a woman entering a well in the state of Maharashtra to get water.

India is among the 17 countries where "water shortage" during 2019 was "extremely large", according to the global report of the World Resources Institute.

The crisis was worst in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Haryana, the report showed.

Every summer in Madhya Pradesh water shortage is a regular problem.

The local government has promised to ensure the supply of drinking water for every village by 2024.

But millions of people still don't have it.

Angry residents of the village of Gusija said they would boycott the elections this year in protest at local government policies.

"We have to go down to the well to get water.

"There are three wells here and all of them have almost dried up, and we don't have hand pumps for water," a local woman told news agency ANI.

"Officials and politicians come here only before the elections, and this year we decided not to give them votes until we have secured water supply," she added.


Many Indians reacted on social media, calling the video "heartbreaking" and calling on officials to immediately help the village.

India is the country that uses the most groundwater in the world, and many people still get their water from these sources every day.

But nearly two-thirds of India's regions are threatened by declining groundwater levels, the World Bank said.

The Asian country is expected to face severe shortages by 2050, affecting 30 cities in regions at risk of drought.


Watch the video: Women in Kenya sell their bodies for drinking water


Follow us on Facebook,Twitter i Viber. If you have a topic proposal for us, contact us at bbcnasrpskom@bbc.co.uk

Bonus video: