What You Need to Know
• Mamta, a 40-year-old woman from Jalaun district, makes up to 10 trips daily to collect water.
• The village’s taps, part of a government scheme, have been dry for two years, affecting 1,000 residents.
• Mamta, a member of the Valmiki community, faces discrimination while accessing water from handpumps.
Mamta, a 40-year-old woman from Jalaun district, India, undertakes as many as 10 journeys daily to collect water from a handpump in her village. The taps installed under a government drinking water scheme have been dry for two years, leaving the village’s 1,000 residents reliant on a few handpumps. Collecting sufficient water for her 11-member family and livestock takes hours, and Mamta, who belongs to the Valmiki community, faces discrimination from members of the dominant castes. She must wait for upper-caste individuals to finish using the handpump before she can fill her buckets, and some upper-caste residents pour water over the pump to “cleanse” it after they use it. The Bundelkhand region, where Jalaun is located, has faced severe droughts and rising temperatures, further complicating water access.
Why It Matters
The situation in Bundelkhand highlights the intersection of water scarcity and caste discrimination in India. The region has a history of drought, with several major droughts occurring between 2002 and 2016, making it a symbol of water scarcity. The rocky terrain limits groundwater storage, and erratic rainfall exacerbates the issue, despite government conservation efforts. Discrimination against Dalits, such as the Valmiki community, continues to hinder access to essential resources like water, reflecting broader social inequalities in India.
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