Water Carriage by Women in Hilly Areas of North-East India: Challenges and Future Research Direction

Statistics show that in India, 20% of the rural areas are still devoid of essential quantity and quality of water. Daily water carriage by women folk for drinking and household activities is common in rural India. Traditional methods of carrying water on the head, shoulder, and waist or by hand are tiring and impacted by numerous factors like weather conditions, distance, walking path, etc. Such activities lead to adverse health consequences like musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the long run. Water carriage by women in hilly areas of North-East India is challenging from multiple perspectives. The prevailing practice of on-head carrying of water is a risky and time-consuming task. The risk and drudgery are enhanced due to slippery, uneven, hilly terrain, no support structure/mechanism for climbing up-down, bad weather conditions, and long-distance travel. The people, especially the women in hilly rural areas, face tremendous hardship to carry water, but there is a lack of reported research and thereby, appropriate intervention to resolve the issue. Following the literature review, it is evident that various attempts have been made to supply drinking water in hilly areas. However, many of these interventions are not feasible/influential due to prevailing climate conditions. There is a need to strengthen such traditional practices through appropriate context-specific design interventions. Hence, it aims to document the current scenario and various challenges faced by the women of North-Eastern hilly areas to develop a proposal for the most feasible interventions.