Despite Dams & Water Schemes, Tribal Villages Live With Drought

In the village of Pachdongri in Maharashtra’s Melghat region, Pantti Dhande has just one task that takes up her entire day — fetching water for her family. Despite being eight months pregnant, she has to walk two kilometres every day to get water. Carrying two pots on her head from such a distance daily has severely worsened her back and lower back pain.

“The water tanker doesn’t come regularly. When it does, all the women in the village rush to it. It’s a big struggle. We also have a few animals (cattle and pets) at home, so I need to get water for them too. My backache and lower back pain have only gotten worse. Every night, I go to sleep worrying, ‘Will there be water in the well tomorrow?’ All the women in our village are facing the same issue. The government should immediately take steps to ensure we receive a regular and adequate water supply,” says Dhande.

Her story reflects the daily struggle of every tribal woman in Pachdongri, a village in the Chikhaldhara taluka of Amravati district, which has a population of 835 (according to the 2011 census). Other nearby villages in Melghat such as Khadimal and Makhala are also grappling with a severe water crisis.

Pachdongri came into the spotlight three years ago, in 2022, when village residents, desperate for drinking water, drank contaminated well water and many fell ill. Sushila Dhande, a resident who has worked with Khoj, an NGO focused on forest rights, for 10 years, recalls, “Three years ago, an outbreak of diarrhoea spread in our village due to contaminated water, and 16 people died before they could even be taken to the hospital.” The outbreak of diarrhoea in July that year was followed by the spread of cholera, also linked to contaminated water, in August.

After that incident, many news stories were published and videos went viral — but the water crisis remains unresolved. During a visit to the village, residents told Mongabay India that three years ago, around 400 people were infected during the outbreak in both Pachdongri and nearby Koylari village, with about 100 requiring hospitalisation. They quote these numbers, stating that media coverage at that time underreported the numbers.

Melghat’s geography, water crisis, and its toll on the tribal population

Melghat, meaning “a confluence of mountain ranges,” is situated in Maharashtra’s remote tribal belt, specifically within the northern part of the state, bordering Madhya Pradesh. This area is predominantly inhabited by the Korku tribe, the state’s eleventh-largest tribal community. The Satpuda range’s unique geography, characterised by its “seven folds or ridges,” makes the region increasingly remote and inaccessible the deeper one goes.

Melghat is home to around 300,000 people spread across 320 villages. Over 80% of the population here are tribal communities.

The region’s geographical isolation contributes to its severe water scarcity and ongoing development challenges. For example, while a paved road connects Amravati city to Semadoh village, the subsequent 26-kilometre route to Pachdongri village is unpaved and difficult to navigate. This inadequate infrastructure complicates access to these communities and makes finding a solution to the water crisis more challenging.

The region is also known for issues including malnutrition-related child mortality, widespread poverty, and seasonal migration. For the past five years, water scarcity has emerged as an additional concern.

Since the village is situated on high terrain, the wells are located downhill. “We have to go very far for water. During May and June, it becomes very difficult,” explains Sandhya Jawarkar, a 28-year-old woman from Makhala village. “We sometimes sit near the well for up to five hours, collecting it bit by bit, which takes the whole day. As a result, we suffer from body aches and sometimes fall ill because we don’t get clean water.”

With a population of 2,000, the village of Makhala relies on just four wells within a five-kilometre radius. This forces residents to struggle for water, especially from April to June. The Maharashtra government, under its drought management action plan, supplies only 20 litres per person daily through tankers for all needs, including drinking, bathing, and cooking. The village gram panchayat maps the needs of the village residents and sends the requirement to the Block Development Officer, who in turn sends the supplies by allotting the tankers to the village.

Khadimal, a village 16 kilometres from Makhala, has 1,400 residents. The houses in the village are modest, with sloping roofs made of local materials. The village well is completely dry. Water tankers arrive and pour water into the well before leaving. To prevent women from fighting near the water tanker, the tanker pours the water directly into the well. The moment a tanker is spotted, women grab their pots and buckets and run toward the well, drawing water before it even settles.

The water crisis affects not just survival, but also livelihoods. Without water, farming ceases, leading to a lack of work and income. This forces those living hand-to-mouth to migrate to cities. Due to inadequate health and education facilities, many children are sent to live in taluka headquarters, while poorer families are deprived of education entirely.

Climate change worsens the water crisis

Dr. Avinash Satav has been providing medical services in Melghat under the Mahan Trust for the past 30 years. Having lived in the region for many years, he holds the impact of climate change equally responsible for the worsening water crisis in Melghat.

“Around 10 to 15 years ago, Melghat received so much rainfall that the sun wouldn’t be seen for days. But in the past decade, average rainfall has drastically decreased, and unseasonal rains have increased. Until a few years ago, winters remained bitterly cold till February. Now, by the end of February, temperatures start rising rapidly. Every year, April and May set new temperature records.”

Dr. Satav’s observations are supported by climate data.

According to Kedar Kulkarni, Assistant Professor of Economics at Azim Premji University, who specialises in the economics of climate change, Melghat has experienced a 3.9% decline in average annual rainfall, dropping from 957 mm between 1960-1990 to 920 mm in the period from 1990-2020 (data from the India Meteorological Department). Drought frequency has also risen by 50%, from four drought years between 1960-1990 to six between 1990-2020. “These shifts in rainfall and drought patterns are accompanied by a noticeable rise in average annual temperatures. Over the same comparison period, mean temperatures in the region increased by about 0.5°C. Together, these trends provide evidence for a changing climate in Amravati district,” Kulkarni shared.

These climatic changes have direct and concerning impacts on the local population. Dr. Satav’s observations highlight the immense burden on women and girls: “Due to growing water scarcity, adolescent girls and women face extremely difficult conditions. Walking two to three kilometres daily carrying four to five pots leads to physical issues like shoulder and back pain.” Beyond the physical toll, this daily struggle creates significant mental stress. “There’s also the anxiety about getting water tomorrow — this constant worry harms their mental health,” he adds.

Lack of access to water causes health concerns

Dr. Avinash Satav further detailed the health repercussions he has observed. “During menstruation, the lack of water forces women to use unclean cloth, which is causing infections in many girls,” he explained. He also noted widespread issues with drinking water quality. “In many villages, drinking water is not clean, and diarrhoea is widespread.

If pregnant women drink this contaminated water, they contract diarrhoea, which directly affects the unborn child.” Dr. Satav emphasised this as a “vicious cycle”, where contaminated water leads to diarrhoea and then malnutrition. He adds, “Most village wells contain murky water, which women use to wash clothes and utensils. Now, we’re seeing children develop skin infections and persistent itching because of this contaminated water.”

With a shortage of water for sanitation needs, women are forced to relieve themselves in the fields, exposing them to snake bites, he noted.

“Three water tankers come to our village every day, but it’s not enough. Because of the water situation, our children have fallen ill and suffer from skin infections such as itching, rashes, and scabies from head to toe. The government must take notice,” says Madhuri Bethekar from Khadimal.

Bandya Sane, director of Khoj, an NGO working on forest rights in Melghat, highlights the severe health consequences of the water crisis. He explains that contaminated water and malnourishment among pregnant women are major causes of high rates of child mortality and malnourished newborns in the region. Waterborne diseases like cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis are common. The situation is worsened by water tankers pouring water directly into already silted wells, leading to further contamination. This, Sane states, contributes to low birth weight infants, child and maternal deaths, and widespread malnutrition.

According to Dr. Aditya Patil, medical officer of Chikhaldara taluka, 65% of women suffer from moderate anaemia and 8% from severe anaemia, which add to the compounding health problems related to water shortage. The nearest hospital is 50-60 km away for those in hilly areas.

Infrastructural hurdles to water access

Experts say the water scarcity in Melghat — a region that falls within a protected tiger reserve — is as much a result of human-made barriers as it is of natural constraints. Despite having three dams, Barlinga, Chandrabhaga, and Hatnur, in the region, water shortage persists. To deliver water from these dams to villages situated at higher elevations, electricity is needed. However, strict regulations from the Forest Department make it difficult to lay power lines. Since power lines pose a threat to wildlife, the Forest Department often denies permission.

Most villages in Melghat have taps installed in every house, but residents in elevated areas don’t receive water because there’s no electricity. Since these villages fall under Forest Department jurisdiction, restrictive conditions have led to electricity-related issues. The government introduced solar power projects, installing panels in front of every house. But for several years now, they’ve been lying unused, covered in dust from infrastructural damage due to institutional neglect.

To address water scarcity, water supply projects have been proposed for villages like Aladoh, Shahapur, Motha, and Madki, in two phases. But these require forest department clearances, which come with several hurdles. Because Melghat falls within a tiger reserve, electricity infrastructure cannot be developed easily, making implementation of these projects extremely difficult, Shivshankar Bharsakale, Block Development Officer of Chikhaldara, told Mongabay-India.

Srinivasan Reddy, Melghat Tiger Reserve Field Director, clarifies: “There’s no issue granting blasting permission on private land. Except within forest areas, local residents can carry out blasting anywhere. Citizens blame the wildlife department unnecessarily.”

Divisional Commissioner of Amravati Shweta Singhal urged, “If blasting is a challenge, at least permission for all the manual alternatives that are feasible should be granted.”

Bandya Sane reflects, “Melghat’s water crisis isn’t due to scarcity — it’s a failure of governance. Despite natural resources and government schemes, poor implementation and lack of accountability have left Adivasi communities without access to their basic rights.”

Government officials acknowledge the severity of the issue but emphasise that the crisis is being addressed and can be resolved soon. Chikhaldara Tehsildar Jeevan Morankar says, “Melghat’s water crisis is serious. There are issues with water retention in this region. Water doesn’t stay stored, which causes repeated shortages. Special efforts are being made in Khadimal to deepen and widen the local reservoir. This should ease the crisis. Several Maharashtra Water Authority schemes are currently in progress. Work on four schemes is underway. By next summer, the water issues for Melghat’s residents will be resolved.”

(Published under Creative Commons from Mongabay-India)