You must have heard about people dying for want of water, but this tale in Nana Shahpur village will come as a shocker. The daughters-in-law of many families of the village in Viramgam taluka have returned to their parents after failing to get enough water for their daily needs!
Take the case of Bhavna Patel, who left her in-laws’ home because of water shortage in the village. Bhavna said she will return only after she gets the precious liquid for her daily needs.
Speaking from her home in Bagodara, she said, “There is an acute water shortage in the village. The water that we used to get is also non-potable. It was difficult for me to take care of the child as I had to walk miles to get water. That is why I came back home to my parents.”
Parulben Senva has returned to her parents’ home because of the same problem. She said, “What is the use of staying in a place where water is not available? Even when we get water, it is not potable. This is the reason why I came back to my parents’ home from Nana Shahpur with my son.”
Daiyaben Senva, a villager, claims, “I have three sons who got married a year back but the daughters-in-law went to their parents home after they got tired of not getting enough water to drink or use for their daily needs.” The youths of this village are engaged in seasonal labour in various parts of the state, leaving the elders alone at home. The elders on the other hand say that they face a water crisis every day. While the villagers get drinking water from the Narmada pipeline and an underground water tank, they get bathing water from a nearby lake.
If this was not enough, villagers also claim that people are not ready to marry off their daughters to youths in the village because of the same problem. They say that families fear their daughters would have to endure hardships if they get married into families of Nana Shahpur.
Take for instance the example of 70-year-old Chela Kathakiya, two of whose children are not getting married because of the water problem.
