Drought drives rural Indian women into city sex trade

N Kiran Kumar Reddy, chief minister of Andhra Pradesh State, India is planning to combat drought by bringing water from the neighbouring Maharashtra state throught the Pranahita-Chevella Irrigation Life Project which will irrigate nearly 3 million acres of land and supply drinking water in seven districts, reports Alertnet.

“We hope that this will prove to be a virtual boon for the drought-prone areas of the state,” the minister told journalists recently after signing an agreement setting up an inter-state board. Unfortunately, it will be years until the project will be finalized, and Maharashtra is also struggling with drought and rising water needs from urban areas. Yet, this project provides a ray of hope to women who are forced to leave their land due to the drought and repeated crop failures, and end up working as sex workers in the cities, as they are unable to find other kind of work.