New Delhi:In the villages of Kerala, there are many stories of struggle that have come to light. While a major portion of south India is reeling under severe drought, many women from Kerala's Palakkad district have gone against all odds to dig as many as 190 wells to ensure availability of drinking water since last August.

The state is passing through one of the worst droughts in the last century. A majority of the 44 rivers that cut across the state, acclaimed as God’s Own Country, are either dry or near-dry, hitting the farming and plantation sectors hard.

Fighting acute scarcity of water, around 300 women in Kerala decided to dig wells, an occupation dominated by men in the state.To solve water issue in the district women did not let their age become a problem during the work, as even the elderly women climbed down pits using makeshift bamboo ladders to dig wells with pickaxe and shovels. 

Earlier Palakkad town used to rely on lorries for drinking water during summer. But with these women’s initiative, the place has become self-sufficient in terms of water.Now, the village is slowly recovering from water scarcity and besides digging wells, they also launched rainwater harvesting to recharge open wells.

Breaking into male bastion; these homemakers were single-handedly digging the harder and rocky terrains to earn a living. This transition is considered as the proof of empowerment attained by these village women.

Although these women decided to take up the risky job to ensure steady daily wage to support their family but in return they hardly get good wages.According to the village panchayat authorities; while a skilled male well-digger gets Rs 700-1000 as daily wage for digging a well under MGNREGS scheme, a woman worker would get only Rs 240.

Leaving no stone unturned, these women didn’t even get what they have earned till now. They have not got a single penny as wage for their work.Panchayat source has revealed that, “Our Panchayat has to get a due of Rs 70 lakh in terms of various works under MGNREGS. And out of this, Rs 35 lakh is for the well-digging project alone.”

These women still hopping that they will get the due amount at the earliest, so that they can continue their work in future and earn a living. On the other hand while Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are on the brink along with Kerala; other states of south India like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are also reeling under severe drought.