The women folk in remote villages in Himachal Pradesh no longer have to cover long distances in scorching heat carrying empty pitches on their heads to fetch water from the traditional sources. Thanks to a network of more than 9,000 handpumps these villages are now getting safe drinking water. The time taken to fetch water from far off places is now utilised in other gainful pursuits. The installation of handpumps proved a boon to the villagers in general and the women in particular when the majority water sources had gone dry.