Women clean 190 wells to tackle water scarcity

In the village of Pookkottukavu, Thiruvananthapuram, 300 women have been cleaning more than 190 wells in order to solve the water scarcity problem. 

Puthukottakavu village is located in the northern part of the Palakkad district of Kerala.

Last year, the village received lesser rain than expected resulting in water scarcity. A meeting by the Panchayat was held in order to find a solution. During the meeting, many villagers said that the cleaning of wells would be the best solution.

So with the help of the Panchayat, under the central government’s 100 days employment scheme, the process of cleaning began in August 2016. 

Women working with the men in cleaning the wells matched them equally in doing the heavy manual work. In the beginning, their family members and relatives advised them to look for another job on seeing the hard work it takes. 

Close to 300 women, who knew that it was them who would ultimately suffer without water, are working even without wages. Women from the age of 35 to 70 are working for this cause proving their ability and unity.

So far they have cleaned 190 wells which are 10 to 12 meters deep.

When asked about this to a villager, Lakshmi, she said, “We do not know anything about cleaning the wells. We were given only a few days of training but with which we are gradually progressing in this work. We are also convincing many other women to come for work by telling why this is needed. At first, we received an amount of Rs 240 a day as wage, but for the past seven months, we are working without any wage. We have decided to work for the sake of the village and also with a hope that they will soon give the pending amount. There won’t be any water scarcity from now.”

The women who proved that they could work equal to men are being appreciated for their noble accomplishment. 
 

• Tamil Nadu
• Kerala
• Wells
• Women