there are parched river beds as well as flowing rivulets; water at depths of 3-5 metres and dry wells even at 60 metres; hectares of land filled with cacti and areas lush with mango, lime, even water melon: the contrasts cannot be more stark among villages in Gujarat.

On a particularly hot afternoon, groups of women and children are seen peering into holes dug into the aptly-named Sukhi river bed in Dahod district