women in Bikhnatori village in Bihar are jubilant they no longer have to walk hours to fetch water. For the first time since Independence, the border village is getting potable water supply.

The Bihar government started supplying 3,000 litres of water daily through a tanker from March 25. Down To Earth had reported the village’s plight (see ‘Corridor of uncertainty’, March 1, 2010). President of Rashtriya Janata Dal, Abdul Bari Siddiqui, called attention to the media report in the Bihar Assembly. State Public Health and Engineering Department (phed) minister Ashwini Choubey said the government has floated a tender to buy a drilling machine to ensure regular water supply to the village.

A committee comprising villagers has been formed to ensure equitable distribution of water. The panel members sign a roster of the phed department, confirming receipt of water. The tanker stops at every village crossroad. “Earlier, we used to cross the dry bed of the river Pandai to fetch water from Nepal and it used to take two hours,” said Manyata Devi, a villager.

The Bihar government also accepted the village is on its revenue map.
   
Choubey said orders have been given to locate the land records of the village. The villagers were getting revenue receipts till 2002 when the practice was stopped suddenly leading to an identity crisis for the village.