Forced to Drink from a Dirty Stream

Every day, Dular walks four miles to get drinking water for her family.

Dular explained, “The water from the stream is dirty, so I dig a little hole and wait for it to fill with water, then I strain it through some cloth into my water pot. It takes about one and half hours to fill the pot. Then I must walk all the way back home with it."

Dular’s family is poor, part of one of the lowest castes in their society. Discrimination against them permeates every aspect of their lives, even having access to water.

Dular said, “I used to go to an open well to fetch water, but people there dumped out my water vessel, and told me never to come back. That’s when I started going to the river. At the time, I was pregnant. Later, I had to carry my baby with one hand and use my other hand to balance the water pot on my head. It was very difficult.”

The desperate family dug their own open pit well. Dular said, “The water was very bad for us, and would get frogs and insects in it. It made our children very sick.” 

Dular’s family are faithful Christians, so they turned to prayer. “In the midst of our crisis, we begged God for clean drinking water,” said Dular.

Their prayers were answered through the local church and Operation Blessing’s Clean Water program. When a pastor told us about the family’s dire need for water, we dug a well near their home, and brought hope to Dular’s family and their village.

“We were all filled with joy, especially the children. What a wonderful gift from God,” exclaimed Dular. “The whole village celebrated, and this well became a symbol of unity among us. No one is discriminated against here. All have access to this well.” 

The Operation Blessing team also taught people about sanitation and prevention of waterborne diseases.  

Dular said, “We work together to keep our homes and the area around the well clean and safe. Now my children and our animals drink pristine water, untouched by illness. And the water is so close to my home I have plenty of time to work around the house. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to all who made this gift possible. May God bless you abundantly.”