Help women secure water and food in India

Lack of water and frequent droughts in the Thar Desert impacts the socio-economic status of the desert community. Shortage of drinking water poses severe health risks as manifested through water-borne diseases and severe dehydration. Socially, the biggest impact is on women. They spend hours each day walking miles in search of water under extremely hot and harsh conditions. Young girls, too, need to go and fetch water, which deprives them from going to schools.

Bhanwari, a Rajasthani woman sat on her taanka, looking at the glowing sun beaming through the azure sky. She broke into a warm smile and offered us a mug of cool and clean drinking water. Bhanwari had nearly died after falling on a sharp rock while water on her head. She prizes her taanka above any other possession. She joked that maybe all parents should start presenting taankas to their daughters as a dowry since that way women would be freed from ‘water-fetching drudgery’ everyday.

Taankas are water storage devices that are essential to provide access to water for many villages located in these arid areas. A taanka is an important element of water security in the Thar Desert region.