Water is not ‘gender-neutral’, especially in India. It is the woman of the house who walks an average of 6 km each day to collect water for household use. In the Kumaon region, a newly married bride visits the family spring to fetch water a day after the wedding, in a symbolic tradition of water responsibility. Gender still matters in issues concerned with water, and a review of the current status of women and water projects highlights the following points.
Living in the fragile mountain eco systems, women here are more deeply affected by water shortages. A case study of Almora, Uttaranchal shows that this can change.
With improved access to water, the overall development of women increases and the gender power imbalance is somewhat mitigated. Some of the benefits for women include:
Water policies in the country are ‘weak’ from a gender perspective. Thus development plans need to be gender-sensitized, and women must be included in all levels of decision making to address the disproportionate access to resources. Generalization and mere quotas for women will not solve this gender bias. Involvement and empowerment of women are necessary for initiatives to succeed in the water sector.
This post presents a submission received for the Sustainable Mountain Development Summit-III held at Kohima, Nagaland, from September 25-27, 2013. Download the original submission below.