Innovation for structural additions in  tankas saves women’s lives in Barmer

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Amid a surge in the cases of women allegedly jumping to death in tanks and wells along with their children following marital disputes in Rajasthan’s Barmer district, an innovative intervention has been made for structural additions in  tankas (big tanks) constructed in the households and on agricultural land in the rural areas. The intervention forms parts of a campaign to prevent suicides in the district.

The  tankas with a huge water storage capacity are traditionally built adjacent to the residential units in western Rajasthan for collecting the rainwater and using it throughout the year for drinking and other household needs. The houses are generally situated in isolation because of their location in  Dhanis (hamlets), which are at a considerable distance from each other.

The district authorities have observed that when women and children jump in the  tanka, it is almost impossible for them to survive because of its depth. The administration had earlier experimented with the installation of chain or  sankal (pulley) inside the tanks to provide support, but it did not work out.

The ‘Anmol Jeevan Abhiyan’ (Precious Life Campaign) launched in Barmer recently has encouraged village panchayats and owners of houses to make the structural addition of hand pumps and locked covers on  tankas. The light-weight hand pumps made of fibre serve the dual purpose of preventing the accidents and suicides as well as drawing of water from the tank.

The campaign has been started jointly by the district administration, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Action Aid after a research on the cases reported from Chohtan block. Among the 171 suicide cases reported last year, as many as 64 were those of women and a majority was those who had jumped into the water tanks.

Barmer Collector Lok Bandhu told The Hindu that the instances of women’s suicide along with their children were “nothing less than the murder of children”, because the latter never consented to the act and were rather forced to give up their lives. “The expenditure on hand pumps has been included as a mandatory item in the basic schedule of rates in the Zila Parishad,” he said.