A sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) in Tikamgarh district of Bundelkhand region has suggested polygamy to overcome water crisis in the parched land.
"One wife for giving birth to kids and other two to fetch water," Jatara SDM B K Pandey said while addressing a gathering at Lidhora village on Monday.
"I happened to pass by village Bairwar in Jatara block few days ago and saw women fetching water at 2 in the night.''
He described water crisis a major problem. "Those who are resourceful will have three wives, if they want to drink water. However, those who are not resourceful cannot afford three wives.''
Bundelkhand region in Madhya Pradesh encompasses districts of Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Panna, Damoh and Sagar, which have been grappling with water shortage for years.
The problem accentuates in summers despite hundreds of crores spent as part of Bundelkhand package launched a few years back to put in place infrastructure including for water.
When the SDM was making the bizarre statement, he was asked whether there were enough women in Bundelkhand, know for its low sex ratio.
Pandey replied: "Yes, it is true. The number of women in Bundelkhand is less.'' He blamed Jhansi, a neighbouring district in Uttar Pradesh, for the gender imbalance.
"What he did not mention is sex determination and female infanticide in Jhansi," said Nishant Vyas of Social Media Foundation, an NGO.
There are many places in Madhya Pradesh's five Bundelkhand districts, where people avoid marrying their daughters because of water crisis.
"They know their daughters will have to walk long distances to fetch water,'' Vyas added.
A woman murdered another at a public tap in Damoh last month, highlighting the magnitude of the problem.
