In the year 2016, I travelled to a village in Western Uttar Pradesh. The objective was to assess the impact due to a water structure constructed in a village to raise the groundwater level. We interviewed men and women separately. We started our interviews with households near the water structure and then moved further.

The households between 0 and 150 meters belonged to the economically poor. The women from these households along with men mostly worked in the agricultural fields as daily wagers. Almost all women were not properly literate but were able to manage their cash transactions. The women from these households were aware of the water structure and of the staff taking care of the water structure. Not only that, the women were able to put forward their views about the water structure and the changes they felt due to it.

We moved further, between 150 and 250 meters, from the water structure. The households mostly belonged to the farming community with sufficient agricultural land to provide a modest to decent living. The women from these households mostly supported agricultural activities in various ways such as by working on their own farms, taking care of livestock, and taking care of the food for the daily wagers. The elderly women in these households were not formally educated but the women from younger generations were educated. The women from these households were aware of the water structure, its function, and also of the staff taking care of the water structure. The women expressed their views on the changes they felt due to the water structure.

We moved further ahead, between 250 and 500 meters, from the water structure, but within the village boundary. The households in these areas were affluent with considerable landholding sizes. The women in these households were mostly engaged in their household work and rarely supported any livelihood activity directly. Most of the women from these households only heard about the water structure but never saw the structure. The women from these households were also not able to comprehend the changes they observed or felt due to the water structure.

The situation and circumstances of each woman were different and were majorly driven by their economic condition. Taking care of household is a respectable and demanding work. However, going out for work made the women more aware of the infrastructure development in their own village. The women who were going out for supporting livelihood activities or for contributing towards their family income were also able to comprehend the changes they felt due to the infrastructure development in their village.

(The views are personal)