Uttar Pradesh11 hours agoAuthor: Rajesh Kumar Sahu
“Since we were born, we have depended on springs and water tankers. We would sit near the spring from 8 pm to collect water the next morning. Divya Mittal came to us like a god. She brought water to our village.”
These are the words of Rakesh Yadav, a resident of Lahuriyadah village in Mirzapur. Like Rakesh, nearly 90% of the villagers credit former IAS officer Divya Mittal with changing the fate of their village.
Villagers once walked 5 km for drinking water
Divya Mittal took charge as the District Magistrate of Mirzapur in September 2022. During a visit to Lahuriyadah, villagers told her they had to walk nearly 5 km to fetch clean drinking water.
Moved by their plight, Mittal told them, “I will not drink the water here until water reaches this village.”
A year later, water finally reached Lahuriyadah
After nearly a year of efforts, the villagers’ long-standing wait finally ended as drinking water was supplied to the village. Mittal was transferred from Mirzapur a few months later, in September 2023.
Divya Mittal’s resignation brings village story back into focus
On August 30, 2026, Mittal resigned from government service. Her work in Lahuriyadah, where access to drinking water transformed daily life, has now brought the village back into the spotlight.
Read the full report…
The people of Lahuriyadah village collect rainwater so that drinking water does not have to be used for other purposes.
Water was provided upon showing a ration card
Located on the UP-MP border, about 65 km from the Mirzapur district headquarters, this village received water four years ago based on ration cards. The villagers said that each person was given only 15 liters of water.
This village is situated atop Hanumana Hill. Many times, even water tankers could not reach it. In such situations, the villagers had to walk 5 km through the forest.
They would collect water seeping from the mountain in containers and bring it back. Until 2022, there was no tap-water facility for drinking water in the village.
Women Were Insulted While Loading Water onto Trucks
In the village, we met Kamla Devi Kesarwani, who runs a roadside shop. She said, “We used to travel 5 km to Bhainsor to fetch water. We would load water onto the trucks returning from there. The truck drivers would make lewd and abusive remarks. But we had no choice, so we had to tolerate everything.”
Kamla further said, “In 2022, Divya Mittal visited our village. The village is situated on a mountain at a considerable height. Water could not be brought here through pipes. So, she finalized a project to build a water tank. She did exactly what she had promised. She did not invite any MP or MLA to the inauguration. Because of this, MP Anupriya Patel had her transferred.”
Kamla says that if Divya Mittal comes to contest the election, we will vote for her.
We were forced to drink rainwater
Vikas Kumar, who runs a shop in Lahuriyadah, was filling containers at his home with water during heavy rain. When asked why he said, “We use it to wash the dirty utensils from the shop. Divya Mittal brought water to our homes through taps and pipes. Before her, we had told several officials about our problem, but no one listened to us.”
She left after building stairways to heaven for the village
Dainik Bhaskar’s team travelled deeper into the village through the rain and met Rakesh Yadav, who was sitting with his family. Recalling the days before drinking water reached the village, He said, “Earlier, we would constantly travel between Bhainsor and Drummondganj to arrange water. Every member of the family, including my wife and children, was involved in fetching it.”
‘Fetching water was our only job’
Rakesh added, “Collecting water throughout the day and carrying it back home was our only routine. Just as people carry a kanwar on their shoulders, my wife and children would carry two containers of water on their shoulders. When this officer came, water finally reached our village. By bringing water to the village, she has earned a place in heaven.”
Rakesh says that the water has arrived, but many times the employees here do not provide water at all.
Water was available only after paying ₹1,500–2,000 for weddings
Hirawati lives at one end of the village. Her husband has passed away. Recalling the severe water shortage, she says, “Whenever there was a wedding in the village, a water tanker would arrive only after paying ₹1,500–2,000. The shortage was so severe that we would go and sleep near the spring. We would get our turn after three to four days, and only then could we collect water.”
Tap installed, but no water supply for six days
Reeta Adivasi, another villager said, “The installation of a tap outside her house has not fully resolved the problem.”
She added, “It has been six days since the tap was installed, but no water has come through it. We are collecting rainwater and using it for drinking as well as other household needs.”
After 32 years, I have finally seen a water tap in the village
Gaurishankar Adivasi from the village says, “I am 32 years old. I have finally seen a water tap in the village. The biggest change after the water supply began is that now one member of the household does not have to sit near the spring.”
He added, “That person can attend to other household chores, and the children can also go to school. Earlier, they too were sent to the spring to fetch water.”
When asked are the children able to go to school? he said, “The school currently available is 4 km away. There is a forest along the way. Therefore, we are afraid to send the children there.”
Gaurishankar says that children have been freed from the task of fetching water, but the village should have a school up to the 10th grade.
People said-if Divya contests the election, they will support her.
There is speculation in political circles that Divya Mittal may contest the election from Mirzapur. BJP spokesperson Prashant Umrao has claimed that Divya will contest the election on a Congress ticket.
People on social media are also making similar predictions. Residents of Lahuriyadah village say, “If Divya Mittal enters the electoral fray, we will fully support her.”
But what do the people of Mirzapur city think about Divya Mittal? We visited Mirzapur city to find out. We will share the full story in the next part.
