Wheels of change: UK NGO makes carrying water easy
Article Published In The Times Of India On Mar 13, 2020, 04.04 AM IST
A UK-based NGO has relieved 69 women of Sangamner village in Dindori taluka of the burden of carrying vessels of water from the wells to their houses.
NGO ‘Wells on Wheels’ contributed water-wheel carts to these women. Members of the British rock band ‘Alexis Kings’ distributed the carts during their maiden visit to the country.
“We had joined hands with the NGO in UK, which asked us to do the noble work. We are happy to have contributed to the noble cause in our own way,” the band members told TOI.
A private company designed the carts in a way such that it has a capacity to carry 45 litre of water at one go and is easy to pull. The cart has a large round leak-proof drum with a cap made out of a food-grade human-safe high-density polyethylene, which can be rolled along the ground for easier transport. The carts can handle wear and tear for upto 7,000km.
The NGO had started distributing such carts in Maharashtra in June last year. Since then, they have distributed 266 carts in six villages of Nashik district namely Dhaur, Umareshwar Vasti, Thangaon, Dahiwad, Shirsate and Sangamner.
The NGO’s ground team manager, said, “It was founder chairman of Wells on Wheels Shaz Memon’s idea to bring water carts to villages where woman have to carry pots and vessels on their head. We did a survey of such villages in the district and identified a few for distribution.”
The survey revealed that girl students arrived late to school as they had to make more than three rounds to fill water from the wells,said Deore.
“Earlier, we would carry only 20 litre water from the well, which is more than a kilometre away from our houses. The cart given to us has done away with most of our difficulties,” said Vandana Gaikwad, a recipient who works at a nearby farm.