1. In the village of Denganmal, in western India, there are no taps. The only drinking water comes from two wells at the foot of a nearby rocky hill, a spot so crowded that the sweltering walk and wait can take hours.

Some men take a second or third wife just to make sure their households have enough drinking water. Becoming what are known as "water wives" allows the women, often widows or single mothers, to regain respect in conservative rural India by carrying water from the well quite some distance from the remote village.

When the water wife, who does not usually share the marital bed, becomes too old to continue, the husband sometimes takes a third and younger spouse to fetch the water in metal pitchers or makeshift containers.

Above: A resident fetches water from a well outside Denganmal village, Maharashtra, India, April 21


2. Bhagat, 66, now has three wives, two of whom he married solely to ensure that his household has water to drink and cook.

"I had to have someone to bring us water, and marrying again was the only option," said Bhagat, who works as a day laborer on a farm in a nearby village.

"My first wife was busy with the kids. When my second wife fell sick and was unable to fetch water, I married a third."

Above: Sakharam Bhagat, 66, poses with his wives, Sakhri, Tuki and Bhaagi inside their house.
Danish Siddiqui / Reuters


3. Sakhri, second wife of Sakharam, cooks over a fire. Polygamy is illegal in India, but, in this village, "water wives" are common.

"It is not easy to have a big family when there is no water," Namdeo, another villager who has two wives, said.
Danish Siddiqui / Reuters

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