VELLORE: For Venda*, a tribal woman from Nachimedu hamlet in Vellore’s Peenjamandai panchayat, the day begins at 5 am. As dawn breaks over the hills, she picks up her pots and walks 2.5 km to a nearby riverside to fetch water.
She cannot leave any earlier as the bushy path is considered unsafe. So, she walks with four or five other women from the hamlet. Each woman fills their own pots with around 10-15 litres of water, places them on their heads and walks the 2.5 km back home, with the group making the journey together.
The uneven trail, marked by several ups and downs, makes the journey even more strenuous. By the time they reach home, their bodies ache, but there is little time to rest. They have to cook and get their children ready for school.
Nachimedu has more than 50 families and around 200 residents, most of them belonging to the Hindu Malayali tribal community. Women make three or four such trips every day, covering nearly 15-20 km to fetch about 30-40 litres of water, which is still inadequate for a family’s needs. As a result, residents sometimes have to put off bathing and washing.
“Carrying heavy pots along that path tires us out, and most of us suffer from severe back and body pain,” said Venda. Elderly women find the journey particularly difficult and often depend on neighbours to help carry water, she added.
The shortage has also begun affecting children’s education and the daily routines of adults. “Children reach school late. Sometimes, cooking gets delayed because there is not enough water. By then, it becomes late for students to go to school and for adults to leave for work,” said Radhakrishnan K, a resident.
The water crisis became particularly evident during a Kaliyamman festival held in the hamlet a week ago, the first such celebration there in nearly 60 years. Panchayat officials arranged water tankers during the festival, supplying around two pots of water free to each household. Residents had to pay for additional water. The tanker supply, however, stopped after the festival.
Panchayat officials said a temporary arrangement has now been made to supply water using tractors. The local borewell and open well have dried up, forcing officials to draw water from open wells in neighbouring villages and transport it to Nachimedu in limited quantities.
Residents said water scarcity occurs every summer but has been particularly acute this year due to poor rainfall. Data from the district disaster management department showed that Vellore received around 48% less rainfall during this year’s southwest monsoon.
Residents have sought a permanent solution, particularly the drilling of a new borewell.
Anaicut BDO Vinoth Kumar, who inspected the hamlet last week, said most of the water sources had dried up. “Work on a new borewell will begin next week and will be completed within a month,” he said.
Vinoth added that funds had also been sought to desilt and deepen the existing open well, which is almost dry. “This work may take a little more time,” he said.
*Name changed on request