Mukesh Rajak joined as one of the youngest Community Correspondents in 2010. In the past seven years, he's evolved into a seasoned activist. With several videos focusing on irrigation, agriculture and corruption in Jharkhand’s educational system, Mukesh was awarded the Vivekananda Yuva (NGO) 2011 Excellence in Community Reporting award by the Chief Minister of his state. Mukesh occasionally produces and…
In Rampur, Jharkhand, people have no choice but to fetch water from the nearby river.
The only source of water for the 600 inhabitants of Rampur is provided by the only local hand pump still running. This water is filthy and unfit for consumption, so people are left with no other solution but to fetch water from the river, located 1km away from the village.
These daily trips to the river are exhausting for women, who have to carry the heavy buckets on their heads. Besides, the villagers use the river for all their needs. "They bathe, they clean their clothes and utensils and they drink from the same source. So the water gets dirty, and it's unhealthy to drink it," says Bhan Sahu. The situation is again more alarming during the summer - "The river dries up, so villagers dig up holes to get water. The water stagnates in those, it gets impure and harmful."
According to Mukesh, the government is to be held responsible for the current situation. Indeed, it has installed several hand pumps in the village, but due to the absence of appropriate planning and monitoring, the majority of them are simply not working. Despite the repeated promises of government officials, the hand pumps have never been repaired. "Every time elections take place, the candidates come and make promises, particularly for water, but they never fulfil them."
So, Mukesh wants his video to encourage the people in Rampur to advocate for a proper infrastructure that would provide drinking water.
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