WUNRN
Women's Feature Service
By Aditi Bishnoi
Jalaun (Women’s
Feature Service) – In Jalaun, Lalitpur and Hamirpur, three of the seven
districts that make up Uttar Pradesh’s extremely backward Bundelkhand Region, a
harsh reality unfolds for women. Women have had an inferior status to men,
throughout history. Women's caste determines their social status, they are
largely illiterate, and their entire existence is confined to the home. If they
do to step out, it is either to make endless trips to fetch water from a
distant source, or to work as agricultural labour to supplement their meager
household incomes.
Ramvati (centre), the Jal Saheli of Kalothara village,
Lalitpur district, inspects the resource map along with the Paani
Panchayat members. Ramvati's valuable inputs have helped create a
comprehensive map of the water resources in the village. (Credit: WFS)
But despite
the challenges, a few determined Bundelkhand Region women have become the
change-makers for their communities. They are part of a unique sisterhood
called Jal Sahelis, or water friends, created in 96 villages of these three
districts. Today, Ramvati, Leelavati, Meera and Prema are part of a group of
140 Jal Sahelis, who are setting the agenda for the use and conservation of
water, a precious natural resource that dominates the life of the average
Bundelkhandi woman. These women are part of the Paani Panchayat, an all-woman
informal body created at the village-level by the Orai-based NGO, Parmarth
Samaj Sevi Santhan, as part of a European Union supported project,
‘Establishing Women’s First Right to Water Resources’. The project aims to
provide women with the necessary knowledge, authority and legitimacy to
negotiate on issues of water access at the community level.
Mallahanpura village
in Jalaun district lies in a region that until just a decade ago was infamous
for being the playground of dreaded Chambal dacoits/bandits. For women like
Meera and Prema Devi, life was not only rife with danger, they also had to bear
the burden of collecting clean drinking water for their families, spending at
least six hours a day on this task. Things started to look up for them when
last year Mamta, a Parmarth field worker, originated the idea of the Paani
Panchayat (local community government assembly); and Mallahanpura got its 20
member Paani Panchayat, with Prema and Meera appointed as Jal Sahelis.
Anil Tiwari,
Parmarth’s project coordinator, explains the work of the Jal Sahelis, “Whereas
the Paani Panchayat sits once a month to address water related issues, Jal
Sahelis like Prema and Meera meet up with women through the month talking about
water distribution, its proper storage and conservation. Moreover, as they are
articulate and popular within the community, they go around the village
gathering information on what are the water sources that are operational, what
are the gaps in distribution, whether any community has an unfair advantage,
and so on. During meetings of the Paani Panchayat, they present their findings
and propose discussions on water and sanitation.”
Sure enough, Prema
has been busy. She reveals, “There are around 30 hand pumps in Mallahanpura. Of
these, 10-odd had been out of order for long. I informed the Paani Panchayat
about it and together we pressurised the pradhan, block development officer
(BDO) and even the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) to take action. Today, most
of the hand pumps are functional.” Adds Meera, “Another issue on our agenda is
building toilets. Of the 270 homes here, only 35 have latrines. We have already
approached the pradhan and he has promised to sanction money under the Nirmal
Gram Abhiyan.”
The duo also ensures
that the Paani Panchayat’s rules are strictly implemented. Informs Prema, “We
found that many people were bringing their cattle to the hand pumps to water
them and women washed clothes and utensils at drinking water sources. This led
to water logging and filthy surroundings. Sometimes the cement linings of the
hand pumps got broken. So we set two rules – first, no one is allowed to get
cattle at the hand pump; second, there was to be no washing of clothes there.
Flouting these rules invites a fine of Rs 500.”
If Mallahanpura’s Jal
Sahelis are enforcing rules, then Ramvati, Jal Saheli of Kalothara village in
Talbehat block of Lalitpur district, is leading by example. Her 123
household-village is located at the edge of the Shahjad Dam so logically water
scarcity should be the least of their problems. But the reality is that of the
six hand pumps here only one provides potable water. In fact, because of the
raised levels of water in the dam it’s been three years since this community of
small farmers has been able to engage in agriculture, forcing 90 per cent of
the men to migrate to
So when Kalothara’s
Paani Panchayat was set up, their work was cut out – as was Ramvati’s. And they
have come very far from the days when they did not know who to approach for
repairing a hand pump or how to write a petition to install a new one. Says
Ramvati, who is also a ward member of the gram panchayat, “Before the Paani
Panchayat was created there was no platform for us to common problems. As the
Jal Saheli, I now go around the village talking about issues surrounding water,
health, building latrines and educating our girls. In fact, I can proudly say
that for the first time we now have three girls pursuing higher secondary
education.” Over the last few months, with valuable inputs from Ramvati,
Kalothara’s Paani Panchayat has created detailed resource maps that reveal at
one glance the number of homes and water sources here. They have also identified
a spot near the temple where they want a new hand pump installed. Elaborates
Ramvati, “We had approached the District Magistrate last year with our request
but were told that there was a ban on boring of hand pumps for the time being.
We are waiting for this directive to be lifted. Meanwhile, my husband and I
decided to dig a well in our backyard. It took us weeks of hard labour but we
did it and now many of my neighbours come over to take water for washing
utensils and other uses.”
There’s definitely a
new wave of confidence among women of this region. Leelavati, Jal Saheli of
Baghaoli village in Madhogarh block of Jalaun, vouches for this change, “In my
village our livelihoods have been affected as seepage from the irrigation canal
inundates our fields. Getting safe drinking water is another perennial
challenge, what with insects and dirt polluting the two hand pumps that service
the 43 families here. But where we only saw problems earlier, we now know how
to seek solutions as well.” Confirms Chanda, Leelavati’s neighbour, “It is she
who has taught me that our drinking water should be ‘rang heen, gandh heen and
swad heen’ (colourless, odourless and tasteless). Moreover, all of us are now
confident enough to demand our rights even from officials like the BDO and SDM,
something that was unheard of a few years ago.”
Women in Bundelkhand
have been suppressed for centuries. Today, they are ready to rise and demand
their rights – including their first right to water resources. More power to
the sisterhood of Jal Sahelis!