In the village of Nagewadi situated in Karjat, Maharashtra there has been a constant water shortage problem. The community here does not have water supply in their homes. Therefore the women in the village would use heavy pots to collect water from the wells nearby, waking up early morning for this tedious task, which went on for more than an hour. The women, as a result, suffered from a sore neck and back, especially due to the weight of the pots. The soaring temperatures in the summer made the task even more tiresome.

Today, there has been an immense change in the scenario. Through Habitat for Humanity India’s Water Wheel intervention, the women in Nagewadi are leading a better life. Nanda Ragho Bhangare (17), a Bachelor of Arts student from Konkan Gyanpeeth College Karjat, was one of the young girls who had to fetch water to meet the needs of her family.

After this, she had to rush to college in the town of Karjat. She says, “Earlier I would not get much time for my studies. But now because of the water wheel I get time to study. I enjoy rolling the water wheel and running behind it. The water wheel has made it convenient to carry water. I used to carry water in pots on my head before. My entire body would ache because of this. I don’t have this problem anymore as the water wheel can be rolled easily to our home.”