Life is looking up for two women
Lali Devi lives in Roshanpura. She was responsible for fetching drinking water for her family from the village handpump 3 km away, and from an open well in the river near her house during the summer season. In high summer – March to June – the open well became contaminated, so she had to fetch water from yet another source 1km away. ‘Daily walks to collect drinking water are terrible, especially in the summertime.’ she says.
In addition, for much needed income she helps with crop harvesting, adding to the burden of water collection in the late evening or early morning. Water quality is poor; she says ‘water looks dirty.’
Her daughter Hansa who is studying for BSTC (Basic School Teaching Course) class this year had to walk with her mother to fetch water. Hansa said she often missed school to help her mother, and often suffered from dizziness and headaches after fetching water so could not study to catch up.
In January 2021 WaterHarvest built Lali Devi a water tank. Today she has a supply of water at home ‘The rainwater tastes good and I have done my daily routine hassle free during the September harvest. Otherwise I would have to face a lot of chaos during this period due to the arrangement of drinking water and being engaged in the field. I did not think that drinking water can be as easy as you use it by pumping water.’
Her daughter Hansa also ‘felt a great relief’ as she now has enough time to study for her exams later in the year.
