Deadly accident leads to new water well for village
Operation Blessing drilled a new bore well and provided the entire village with safe access to clean drinking water.
The open well in Motewada claimed 16 lives due to its poor construction.
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POSTED: July 26, 2007
By Staci Dennis
MOTEWADA, India - The day started out like any other for Dhula Barkahdi.
He woke up early to gather his things to go work in the sugarcane fields while his wife cleaned the house and cooked breakfast. Eventually she and Dhula's 15-year-old sister, Tana, would make the long journey to the local well to collect water.
But this day wasn't like any other.
Dhula's wife, Chanda, as well as his two sisters, Tana and Leela, 12, all went to the well together. Because of the well's poorly constructed walls and jagged edges, the women were forced to stand on top of the wall in order to draw water.
As Chanda lowered her bucket into the well, her rope got stuck on one of the edges. When she leaned over to get it loose, she lost her balance and started to fall in. Tana quickly tried to grab her, but the two fell over the edge.
In desperation, Leela tried to pull them to safety by reeling in the rope, but the duo was too heavy and she fell over the edge as well.
Their cries for help went unheard and all three died.
"My heart breaks when I think about it," Dhula said. "Why did they have to die so early?"
Dhula wasn't alone in his anguish. Sixteen other women lost their lives in a similar manner. The local government tried to remedy the situation by adding stairs around the outside of the well, but that didn't help much, Dhula said.
Finally, the village elders simply banned women from going there to fetch water, creating a water crisis for families like Dhula's who didn't have anything to drink and no access to other water sources.
Operation Blessing responded by drilling a new bore well and providing the entire village with safe access to clean drinking water.
Today, Dhula, his two children and others no longer have to worry about water shortages or the dangers of falling in a poorly constructed well.
"The bore well has been a great blessing to these villagers," Dhula said. "We have had to go through so much just to get water."
How You Can Help
Help break the cycle of suffering by giving toward Operation Blessing's water wells and cisterns program. A gift of $1,000 can drill a well for more villages like Dhula and supply families with safe, clean drinking water.
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