'Water wives' of India
Life is hard in dry villages, like Denganmal, 150 km from Mumbai. Husbands are busy farming and tending to the animals, while the women do house chores and raise the children. However, someone still needs to bring water from sources often several kilometers away, for about 8 months out of a year, when there is no rainfall in the area. That's why having two or even three wives is not at all uncommon in these parts. The men only have children with their first wives, while the other's sole purpose is to provide water for the family, in exchange for a roof over their heads and the social status of wife. They are paaniwaali bais, water wives.
On any given day, a water wife in Denganmal will fetch over 100 liters of water from a source located 3 kilometers away, making several trips during the day and when it's too hot, at night. However, doing this every day, regardless of weather conditions is bound to take its toll on anybody. Locals report that water wives eventually start to go bald, become stunned and unable to bear children. Women in Denganmal hope that at least their daughters will have an easier life, if the Government finally lays pipes from the nearby dam to their village. "We cannot do it anymore,"water wife Tuki told Open Magazine, speaking on behalf of Denganmal's women, "We are tired of fetching water."
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