Women and children of a village in Dindori in Madhya Pradesh, India, have a difficult routine to keep.
Every morning they set out in the burning sun and walk miles to find a well with some water.
It is a difficult quest as most wells in the area have dried up under the scorching Indian summer.
The children in the group, invariably girls, climb down the well struggling to find a grip on the protruding stones of the wall. A small slip means plunging down to the bottom of the well, which in this region could be 40 feet or deeper.
Accidents are frequent. Kajal Lodha, 28, says: “A girl in a neighbouring village broke her leg after falling down last month.
''If they are lucky they get clear water. If not, the water is milky white and sometimes comes with worms. They boil the water and filter it to make it potable.''
The plight of the Dindori villagers illustrates the tough struggle of millions to find potable water in the country.
On June 15, Niti Aayog, a government thinktank, published a report stating that India was facing its worst-ever water crisis, with some 600 million people facing acute water shortage.
The report drew data from 24 of India's 29 states and said the crisis was "only going to get worse" in the years ahead.
“By 2030, the country’s water demand is projected to be twice the available supply,” the Niti Aayog report reads.
Every morning they set out in the burning sun and walk miles to find a well with some water.
It is a difficult quest as most wells in the area have dried up under the scorching Indian summer.
The children in the group, invariably girls, climb down the well struggling to find a grip on the protruding stones of the wall. A small slip means plunging down to the bottom of the well, which in this region could be 40 feet or deeper.
Accidents are frequent. Kajal Lodha, 28, says: “A girl in a neighbouring village broke her leg after falling down last month.
''If they are lucky they get clear water. If not, the water is milky white and sometimes comes with worms. They boil the water and filter it to make it potable.''
The plight of the Dindori villagers illustrates the tough struggle of millions to find potable water in the country.
On June 15, Niti Aayog, a government thinktank, published a report stating that India was facing its worst-ever water crisis, with some 600 million people facing acute water shortage.
The report drew data from 24 of India's 29 states and said the crisis was "only going to get worse" in the years ahead.
“By 2030, the country’s water demand is projected to be twice the available supply,” the Niti Aayog report reads.
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