The Most Valuable Of Possessions
GRAVIS - India - Water Security
“Maybe all parents should start giving taankas [pictured above] to their daughters as a dowry present.” –Bhanwari
Bhanwari can clearly recall the day when walking on her 6 hour daily water-carrying route with a pot of water on her head, she slipped and fell on a sharp rock. She badly injured herself that day. Today, she has much easier access to water.
The time and energy devoted to water collection has an effect on the entire family’s health, well-being and food supply.
Resting under the shady tree near her home, she says that her taanka-an underground tank for harvesting and storing rainwater-is the most valuable of all her possessions. She jokes that maybe all parents should start giving taankas to their daughters as a dowry present. That way, the women and girls of her village would be freed “water fetching drudgery” everyday.
Women as Collectors and Managers of Water
In addition to being farmers, women-along with their daughters-are most often collectors and managers of water used for preparing food, drinking, bathing and washing. Women like Bhanwari walk for hours each day to collect water for the family in an extremely hot and harsh climate, and when girls are needed to help they are prevented from attending school. The sheer amount of time and energy devoted to water collection has an effect on the entire family’s health, wellbeing and food supply.
A taanka costs around $250 and it can—and does—change lives. These underground tanks capture, filter and store months of rainwater for a family’s daily use. And girls can go to school since they do not have to help their mothers carry water. GRAVIS helps families build these taankas, providing them with technical assistance and materials. The families provide the labor.
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