Manjhi, Laungi Bhuiyan, and now a group of over 250 women from Madhya Pradesh have shown the world that anything can be solved with strong will and perseverance.
As the news goes, about 250 women from Angrotha in the state worked incessantly over 18 months to dig through a hill that stood in the way of the water source to the village. They created an entirely man-made waterway that connected the source to the village pond. They aimed to solve the water crisis they were facing over several years.
The canal that they built is also intended to serve as a rainwater harvester.
“We have been working for over 18 months to connect the channel to the village. Earlier, water used to flow freely in the forest and thus could not be used. So, the women in the village formed a group and it was decided to cut the hill to a length of about half kilometers and make way for the water to fall into a pond in the village,” said Babita Rajput, a local who served in digging the canal to the ANI.
#MadhyaPradesh: Women in Agrotha village of Chhatarpur district dug over 18 months through a hill, to channel water into local village pond
“There’s a water problem here. 250 women of our village dug a channel to get water to flow into the pond,” says Batibai Adivasi, a villager pic.twitter.com/87CcyjC55H
— ANI (@ANI) September 27, 2020
Water shortage in the village largely affected farming and livestock. Thus, the villagers were unable to earn. The waterway brings a ray of hope to the distressed, opening up scope for livelihood.
“We are doing this for ourselves. You see there is water shortage here. We were unable to farm and our livestock was also suffering. Just then about 250 women along with me dug a way for water to flow into the pond in our village. It took us about 18 months to complete this work,” said Vivitabai Adivasi, another contributor and local.
The women not only dug the hill but removed several stones that stood in the path of the waterway.
“In the past months, the women here decided to provide water to our village Angrotha. They have cut a hill and made a waterway. The women are also working on removing several stones that are present in the path of the water flow,” said villager Ram Ratan Singh Rajput.
Kudos to their initiative. Indeed one can solve any problem if they are truly willing to.