Gender and water

Present study is an exploration into gender relations with relation to water equity in household consumption and irrigation on the basis of an empirical study of a village in the Command Area Development Project of river Chambal. An attempt has been made to look into the inter-play of caste status and economic status of the family on the use of water and equity and locate the women in that inter-play. It finds that lack of irrigation propels outmigration and lands men and women in unequal and disadvantageous employment situation along with degradation in caste status. The study reaffirms that use and availability of water is gendered, unequal, stratified and patriarchal even in a comparatively water rich village. It also encounters that hydrological administrative arrangements are intangible and biased and government facilities available reinforce the water inequity, gender relations and gender roles.

Water deprivation is increasingly recognized as a political and security problem. Tensions resulting from the growing imbalance between global water demand and supply can escalate into conflict. The UN estimates that at least one-quarter of the world's population will live in water-scarce regions by 2050. In 2001, then-UN Secretary General Kofi Annan stated that "fierce competition for fresh water may well become a source of conflict and wars in the future." Water insecurity can undermine regional and global partnerships and hinder foreign policy and geopolitical objectives. Conversely, water diplomacy has also been recognized as a potentially powerful tool for long-lasting international cooperation and peacebuilding. Efforts to solve water-related conflicts and promote water cooperation for peace, termed "water diplomacy" or "hydro-diplomacy," continue to be male-dominated. Several recent events and related publications are contributing to bridging this persistent gender gap.

The Swachh Bharat Mission promises to address the issues of sanitation and water in rapidly urbanising areas. However, without an adequate understanding of all potential sources of contamination, the mission, at best, only achieve the goal of universal sanitation but may not meet the goal of safe drinking water.

The scene was straight out of a different century. We lounged around a campfire among ... Rajasthan sang of the rain of tears that poured from eyes of a lovelorn beloved. ... It is very easy to be conscious of the absence of water in a desert. It is equally ... Raag that is supposed to bring rain) ...