India’s women water warriors transform parched landsA volunteer network of around 1,000 women are working across Bundelkhand to rehabilitate and revive disappeared water sourcesBy Jalees ANDRABI / AFP, CHHATARPUR, IndiaAs the monsoon storms bear down on India, a dedicated group of women hope that after years of backbreaking labor, water shortages will no longer leave their village high and dry. Women on June 9 collect water from a well in Agrotha village, in Tikamgarh, Madhya Pradesh. “All our wells have dried up.”Three years ago, Rajput joined Jal Saheli (“Friends of Water”), a volunteer network of around 1,000 women working across Bundelkhand to rehabilitate and revive disappeared water sources. Rajput said their work had helped them retain monsoon rainwater for longer and revive half a dozen water bodies around their village. Photo: AFPThough not yet self-sufficient, Agrotha’s residents are no longer among the roughly 600 million Indians that a government think-tank says face acute water shortages daily.
