Curbs on bathing
Bathing daily is now a punishable offence in three gram panchayats of Andhra Pradesh. The village bodies in Mellacheruvu mandal of Nalgonda district have ruled that villagers will bathe once in four days and wash clothes once every 10 days to save water. Those who defy the diktat will be fined up to Rs 500.
A severe drought has necessitated these desperate measures. Borewells now yield an average of two pots of water per household. The traditional practice of sprinkling the front yard of houses with a mixture of cowdung and water has also been banned.
Dondapadu village alone has more than 300 borewells but hardly 10 yield any amount of water. People stand in serpentine queues well into the night and fights often break out as their patience wears thin. An elderly village teacher maintains that this is the worst drought in 60 years.