The availability of clean water has for a long time been a problem in Tamil Nadu. While there have been serious floods a regular basis in northern India, Tamil Nadu has not had a serious rainfall in 10 years. The lakes and rivers are dry. The water table has dropped significantly. Five years ago it was possible to get water at 100 feet. Now we need to drill 500 feet for the same result and recently had to use dynamite at that level to release the water.
Very few homes amongst our families have their own water supply and almost none have a toilet. Typically, a mother will leave her home at four 5 AM in the morning for her toilet requirements.
In many villages water is available for a few hours a day. A typical site at 9 AM in the morning is to see a group of mothers with colourful water containers filling them up.
