Village Life : The Daily Water Run
Here in the mountain villages women are mostly getting the family daily water supply from wells. Some have their own wells on their property and many must gather their water from public water supply such as hand pumps or natural springs. Nearby to our ashram there are several springs that run continuously. These spots are a gathering place for women and children twice daily as they collect their water for the day/night.
They come with a variety of vessels : 5 gallon plastic buckets, empty metal cooking oil containers, brass pots, and assorted repurposed plastic containers.
They are carried back balanced on the head up a steep and unsteady incline. Some must walk over a mile to gather water daily. A full 5 gallon container of water weighs around 42 pounds. It is no mean feat to carry this uphill without dropping or spilling! Once we saw a woman carrying a 66 pound full metal propane tank balanced on her head.
Since the flow of the nearby spring is not that strong - ladies gather to gossip and laugh as their vessels slowly fill. Children are often sent to collect the water and they laugh and splash around in the puddles of spilled water to pass the time. From time to time you see families doing their laundry there as well.
Here is a shot of the local spring with kids doing laundry:
They come with a variety of vessels : 5 gallon plastic buckets, empty metal cooking oil containers, brass pots, and assorted repurposed plastic containers.
They are carried back balanced on the head up a steep and unsteady incline. Some must walk over a mile to gather water daily. A full 5 gallon container of water weighs around 42 pounds. It is no mean feat to carry this uphill without dropping or spilling! Once we saw a woman carrying a 66 pound full metal propane tank balanced on her head.
Since the flow of the nearby spring is not that strong - ladies gather to gossip and laugh as their vessels slowly fill. Children are often sent to collect the water and they laugh and splash around in the puddles of spilled water to pass the time. From time to time you see families doing their laundry there as well.
I was happy to get this beautiful photo of a woman and her full brass pot:
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