In pictures: The children who need to take a train to get to water

SUMMARY

As their classmates set off to play after school each day, nine-year-old Sakshi Garud and her neighbour Siddharth Dhage, 10, are among a small group of children who take a 14-km (9-mile) return train journey from their village in India to fetch water. Monsoons have brought abundant rain and even floods in many parts of the country, but rainfall in the region around Mukundwadi has been below average this year and aquifers and bore wells are dry.

By ReutersSept 25, 2019 10:46:00 AM IST (Published)

As their classmates set off to play after school each day, nine-year-old Sakshi Garud and her neighbour Siddharth Dhage, 10, are among a small group of children who take a 14-km (9-mile) return train journey from their village in India to fetch water. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

Siddharth Dhage, 10, and his family gather for breakfast at his home in Aurangabad. India's monsoons have brought abundant rain and even floods in many parts of the country, but rainfall in the region around Mukundwadi has been 14 percent below average this year and aquifers and borewells are dry. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

Siddharth Dhage, 10, waits to board a train with empty water containers, at Mukundwadi railway station, Aurangabad. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

Manju Gaikwad, 11, looks out of the window of a train on her way back home to Mukundwadi railway station in Aurangabad, India, August 2, 2019. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

Millions of Indians do not have secure water supplies, according to the UK-based charity, WaterAid. It says 12 percent of Indians, or about 16.3 crore people, do not have access to clean water near their homes - the biggest proportion of any country.. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

Recognising the issue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to spend more than 3.5 trillion rupees ($49 billion) to bring piped water to every Indian household by 2024. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

Anjali Gaikwad, 14, washes clothes at Aurangabad railway station, Aurangabad. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

A woman carries a plastic container in Aurangabad, India, August 2, 2019. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

A well is seen in a field in Aurangabad. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas