In Jhansi district, jal sahelis have their own manifesto

CHANDRAPUR, KAKRARI(JHANSI): At dawn every day, Pushpa Devi, Lakshmi and Gita Ahirwal leave their homes to repair hand pumps in remote villages of Jhansi. They have traded kitchen tools for mechanical toolkits complete with wrench, hammer, nails, pipes, funnels and washers. Technical assistance is offered by NGO Parmarth in the absence of government help.
So, how did these women who have branded themselves “jal sahelis” become who they are today? Now, villages in UP’s Bundelkhand follow a strict norm: Men till fields while women fetch water.Back in 2013, when the well in their Chandrapur village ran dry following a prolonged period of drought, these women were forced to embark on an 8km to-and-fro trek for water. That is when they decided to take matters into their own hands.
As Jhansi prepares to vote on Monday, these women have prepared a manifesto of their own.
The manifesto, called Bundelkhand Jal Ghoshna Patra, has listed 10 demands that include budget for water procurement, participation of jal sahelis and local residents in government schemes, irrigation facilities and identification of new ponds, installation of taps at homes and water lines. “In Delhi and Mumbai, people talk of women empowerment. Here, we are empowered. We are female technicians of the rural world. We do what men would in best cities. Yet, we are devoid of government assistance. There should be jobs for us or schemes involving public-private partnership to help dig wells, repair handpumps, installation of tubewells,” said Pushpa.
Every political party, during polls, promises potable water and that for irrigation purposes. However, the geomorphological conditions of this area, along with poor rainfall, has led to drought in villages. A grant of Rs 9,000 crore, sanctioned in February by the Narendra Modi government, may seem paltry under the given circumstances.
“This area has had a record 13 droughts since 2002. So, even if political parties promise anything, results are zero because rainfall is nil,” said Sanjay Singh, a leading water activist, who has been working in Bundelkhand for 15 years.