Breaking point: Bhiwani women smash 'matkas', demand solution to water crisis

Residents of Durga Colony on Sunday staged a matka-phod (pot-breaking) protest, demanding resolution to the issue of the prolonged drinking water shortage in the locality. Carrying empty pots and buckets, the women marched through the streets, raising slogans. They smashed clay pots to highlight their distress. Santro Devi, a protester, alleged that the area had been struggling with water shortage for seven years.

Other women protesters alleged that they were forced to buy water tankers for Rs 800 on alternate days to fulfil the water needs of their families.

The women targeted government officials and expressed their anger at “repeated false promises”.

“Politicians come asking for votes but forget promises when the elections are over,” one protester remarked, adding that, despite multiple complaints to authorities, the crisis remained unresolved.

“We no longer have the strength to fetch water from far-off places,” the elderly woman said.

The protesters warned of a massive protests if a permanent solution was not provided soon.