ANNOUNCEMENTS
The study of two Kolkata slums is a reminder of how crucial it is to pay attention to the nuanced experiences and subjective realities of poor women in relation to their access to water. Gender inequity is evident as poor women in the slums participate in the physical accessibility of water. On the one hand, they put in the maximum amount of water labour possible, and on the other, they sacrifice their own water needs in favour of other family members. The material deprivations and the precarious conditions of living in slums make the economic accessibility of water very poor, as a substantial part of the household income is spent on better access to water. The poor accessibility to clean water, poor sanitation, and unclean community toilets in the slums render these women vulnerable to unsafe hygienic conditions, a lack of dignity and respect, and unhealthy practises. Water is evidently used as a medium of exclusion by the socio-politically powerful and economically privileged elites who join hands with the neoliberal state to further marginalise already marginalised sections of society. Even though national and international water policies and human rights instruments prioritise drinking water as a basic need, the state has failed to meet the fundamental needs of ‘water for life’ for the ‘incomplete’ citizens living in urban slums. The research methodology and findings are significant in the process of developing and putting into practise effective policies for attaining gender equity.
Keywords: poor women, physical accessibility, economic accessibility, water labour, water rights
