Kerala women venture into pre-dominant men’s occupation, become well-diggers to solve water scarcity.
Women in northern Palakkad district of Kerala decided to become well-diggers to earn a living and solve the water crisis in the area.
These villages have been facing scarcity as wells and small ponds are the only sources of water for the village.
These homemakers did not let their lack of professionalism become a barrier to construct 10-12 meter deep wells alone.
PTI quoted Lakshmi as saying, “We did not know anything about well digging initially.
We gradually learned the basics of the work through our experience.” Pookkottukavu which is around 40 km away from Palakkad town used to rely on lorries for drinking water during summer.
K Jayadevan, president of Pookkottukavu panchayat said that while the first well looked like a pit they have now perfected the skill.
He told PTI, “The first well, dug by a group of women, under the scheme looked like a pit.
The latest ones, made by them, are really structural marvels.
(Watch Video) It was the panchayat who encouraged the women that they could do take up well digging as a job.