Mandu (Madhya Pradesh): Brandishing empty vessels to highlight the water scarcity they are battling, citizens of Diglai village staged a protest on the road on Saturday.

A severe drinking water crisis has gripped the village, as soaring temperatures have exacerbated the dwindling water supply.

In a dramatic protest, angry women took to the Ranipura Dhar road, clutching empty utensils and chanting slogans to voice their frustrations over the ongoing water scarcity.

Residents of Nalcha development block are facing increasing troubles in securing adequate drinking water, which has led to widespread discontent among villagers.

The Nal Jal Yojana, a scheme to provide tap water to every household, remains unimplemented, forcing people to waste hours fetching drinking water.

As the protest unfolded, the women's grievances echoed the hardships faced by the community, where many were forced to rely on private resources and head pumps for water.

With only four out of ten head pumps operational, the villagers are left in a desperate situation. The protest garnered attention, prompting sarpanch Ramchandra Mavi and secretary Sundarlal Baghel to intervene.

They faced the ire of the demonstrators but ultimately managed to pacify the situation by promising to dig a new tube well within a week, alongside arrangements to pipe water from a private tube well.

Sarpanch Mavi said that a proposal has already been submitted to the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department for the new tube well. "This should alleviate some of the water issues we are facing," he stated.

While the promise of immediate action calmed the protest, the villagers remained sceptical, having faced repeated disappointment.