Fearing long treks and animal attacks, Odisha woman digs 40-ft well inside Chandaka

BHUBANESWAR: Two years back, Sakuntala Chatar (35) would trek at least an hour inside Odisha’s Chandaka-Dampada wildlife sanctuary negotiating the forests full of wild animals, particularly elephants, to fetch water that was not even fit for drinking. The trek would be twice daily, at times even in the night. The tube wells where she lived—Kandelei Munda Sahi area in Chhatabar gram panchayat close to Bhubaneswar—were either defunct or did not give enough water. Tired, Sakuntala, a midday meal cook at the govt primary school, decided to dig a well in her own land.

For 60 days she kept digging—three to four hours daily—till she reached 40-ft deep and finally found water. She got occasional help from her husband Laduram Chatar, a mason, and neighbour Jagannath Tingua, a labourer. That was in 2024.

“We were scared of going to the water body often because of elephants. That’s why I decided to dig the well,” said Sakuntala, who came from Chaturanjali village in Mayurbhanj district to the sanctuary some 16 years back.

The well fulfils not only the family’s water needs, but also that of four to five households in the neighbourhood. “Water from the well is clean compared to the one from small waterfalls in the forest,” said her neighbour Asrita Chatar (30).

Sakuntala, who belongs to the Kolha tribe, now grows vegetables like brinjal, tomato and radish, besides leafy greens at her own kitchen garden. What’s more, the mud she scooped out helped build her house.

Sarpanch Bishnu Prasad Denga said Sakuntala’s hard work and determination made her family stand out in the village.