Water. In India, the word is synonymous with necessity and scarcity in equal proportion. On an average, a person needs 15 litres of this invaluable resource each day, which means at least 50 litres per home. Sadly, easy access to water is still denied to a large part of India, particularly its rural area. With 70% of our population living there, it is estimated that they spend six hours a day in just fetching water. That involves a five kilometre walk with the water being carried in earthern pots that can hold no more than 15 litres. Doing this three times a day leads to health complications as serious as chronic back pain and miscarriage. In the age old tradition of Indian smartness, Nilkamal, a company manufacturing plastic products, in collaboration with other organisations has helped distribute over 16,000 pieces of the Nilkamal Wello Water Wheel across states. Among them are Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, states which have faced a water crisis for as long as one can remember. The device, designed by the social venture Wello, is a rolling drum that can carry 45  litres of water at one go saving the bearer at least three hours of time. Made out of plastic that can travel up to 2,000 km on the most uneven surfaces, its leak-proof design is an innovation that could go a long way in easing up access to water for millions of Indians. Appropriately, this initiative was unfurled on Water Day on March 22.