Her Burden: Women & India's Water Crisis

The story of the women and the girls of a village in Denganmal, narrated by veteran theatre and film personality, Sonali Kulkarni

The village of Denganmal, situated on a rocky terrain in western Maharashtra’s Shahapur district, is at the centre of a deep water crisis, and the women of this region are facing the brunt of it with every resource they can muster. The village has no water pipeline connections, because of which the villagers here face an extreme shortage of water. Due to the water crisis here, every household faces an extreme shortage of water for drinking, cleaning, washing and all basic needs. Even drinking or potable water, access to which is the right of every human being, is unavailable in the region—creating a health hazard.

As it happens the world over even in this day and age, household work falls disproportionately high on women—and the women of Denganmal, popularly known as water wives, are at the centre of the region’s water crisis. Polygamy is committed in the region in order to gain more hands for support. These women are responsible for fetching water from a distance of a minimum of three kilometres daily. They walk the entire stretch multiple times a day and carry the vessels filled with water for basic survival. Young girls participate in the same water-fetching routine at the cost of missing school hours. Narrated by Sonali Kulkarni and with a focus on this unique practice in the region, the story reveals the dreams of the women and the girls of this village, and how they get crushed under a basic need.

In an effort to highlight the high and disproportionate burden women across India bear when it comes to the water crisis, Her Circle will let the lives of these women speak for themselves through the lens. For the first of a series we hope helps create awareness and bring about sustainable change, Her Circle brings you the story of these women and girls from Denganmal.