Q. With no access to potable, piped drinking water in most of the Indian homes, and Women’s burden to fetch water for daily use is essentially robbing them of their life. Discuss.
Q. With no access to potable, piped drinking water in most of the Indian homes, and Women’s burden to fetch water for daily use is essentially robbing them of their life. Discuss.
Approach:
- In the introduction, provide Context by writing about Women and their sole responsibility in most of the Indian household to fetch water for daily use.
- Write How does fetching water for daily use affect women and girls.
- Provide a conclusion based on the arguments provided.
Answer:
Cultural norms in indian society place the burden solely on women to haul water for daily use; a task that essentially robs them of life. For women, the water crisis is personal. They are responsible for finding a resource their families need to survive – for drinking, cooking, sanitation and hygiene.
With responsibility to secure water at home, Indian women have always borne the brunt of water shortages. There is an alarming impact of the water crisis on women’s health, both mental and physical.
Even as recently as in 2015, at least 844 million people across the world — 12 per cent of the global population- were still lacking basic drinking water services. These people still rely on unprotected wells, rivers and springs or take water directly from surface sources.
How does fetching water for daily use affect women and girls?
- 200 million hours of women and children spend every day finding and collecting water (Source Water.org).
- Water scarcity has serious implications for women’s health. They may stand in line and wait for water, they may walk long distances to collect water, or they may pay exorbitant amounts of money to secure water.
- On average, a rural woman walks 5 kilometres to 20 kilometres (3-12 miles) a day just to fetch water, according to estimates by campaigners(World Economic Forum).
- In India, water crises usually emerge because of access to and control over water is differentiated due to caste, gender, and wealth. Thus, the water crisis is a socially mediated one, with water often flowing uphill to money and power.
- Water collection and finding a safe place to go are major activities of the day for millions of women. They are left with little to no time for work, school or to care for the family. Without water or toilets at home, women cannot live up to their full potential.
- With no adequate water at home, they have to relieve themselves outdoors, they run the risk of contracting diseases like diarrhoea, hepatitis, and cholera which are worsened by undernutrition. They are also vulnerable to sexual assault.
- Apart from the physical strain of collecting water, women also suffer from the emotional stress of managing with little water.
- Then there is also the link between poor water quality and malnutrition. Malnutrition affects 20% of the population in developing countries and is especially prevalent among those with inadequate access to clean water and proper sanitation.
- The burden is greater with the Clean India Mission, which aims to end open defecation in rural areas by installing toilets thereby increasing water use.
The lack of access to water is a violation of poor women and men’s human rights. Pictures of women carrying pots may be beautiful and widespread in popular culture, but it is a crime and outrage in the 21st century. The poor access to water and sanitation not only affects the health and lives of women and girls disproportionately but also negatively affects their wellbeing and dignity.
The massive number of hours and the labour that these girls and women spend in simply collecting, providing, and managing water for their households/communities distorts their lives, and the labour spent is unaccounted for and unremunerated. If these millions of hours could be taken off from their hands, pathways and opportunities would open up, helping them lead more productive lives, either through time spent in education or in paid work. Thereby empowering them and nation.
Approach:
- In the introduction, provide Context by writing about Women and their sole responsibility in most of the Indian household to fetch water for daily use.
- Write How does fetching water for daily use affect women and girls.
- Provide a conclusion based on the arguments provided.
Answer:
Cultural norms in indian society place the burden solely on women to haul water for daily use; a task that essentially robs them of life. For women, the water crisis is personal. They are responsible for finding a resource their families need to survive – for drinking, cooking, sanitation and hygiene.
With responsibility to secure water at home, Indian women have always borne the brunt of water shortages. There is an alarming impact of the water crisis on women’s health, both mental and physical.
Even as recently as in 2015, at least 844 million people across the world — 12 per cent of the global population- were still lacking basic drinking water services. These people still rely on unprotected wells, rivers and springs or take water directly from surface sources.
How does fetching water for daily use affect women and girls?
- 200 million hours of women and children spend every day finding and collecting water (Source Water.org).
- Water scarcity has serious implications for women’s health. They may stand in line and wait for water, they may walk long distances to collect water, or they may pay exorbitant amounts of money to secure water.
- On average, a rural woman walks 5 kilometres to 20 kilometres (3-12 miles) a day just to fetch water, according to estimates by campaigners(World Economic Forum).
- In India, water crises usually emerge because of access to and control over water is differentiated due to caste, gender, and wealth. Thus, the water crisis is a socially mediated one, with water often flowing uphill to money and power.
- Water collection and finding a safe place to go are major activities of the day for millions of women. They are left with little to no time for work, school or to care for the family. Without water or toilets at home, women cannot live up to their full potential.
- With no adequate water at home, they have to relieve themselves outdoors, they run the risk of contracting diseases like diarrhoea, hepatitis, and cholera which are worsened by undernutrition. They are also vulnerable to sexual assault.
- Apart from the physical strain of collecting water, women also suffer from the emotional stress of managing with little water.
- Then there is also the link between poor water quality and malnutrition. Malnutrition affects 20% of the population in developing countries and is especially prevalent among those with inadequate access to clean water and proper sanitation.
- The burden is greater with the Clean India Mission, which aims to end open defecation in rural areas by installing toilets thereby increasing water use.
The lack of access to water is a violation of poor women and men’s human rights. Pictures of women carrying pots may be beautiful and widespread in popular culture, but it is a crime and outrage in the 21st century. The poor access to water and sanitation not only affects the health and lives of women and girls disproportionately but also negatively affects their wellbeing and dignity.
The massive number of hours and the labour that these girls and women spend in simply collecting, providing, and managing water for their households/communities distorts their lives, and the labour spent is unaccounted for and unremunerated. If these millions of hours could be taken off from their hands, pathways and opportunities would open up, helping them lead more productive lives, either through time spent in education or in paid work. Thereby empowering them and nation.
