India, Dec. 28 -- Tripura's springs are drying up due to deforestation and limited recharge of aquifers. The government's household tap water scheme boasts vast coverage, but they remain dry

Dhalai & Jampui Hills, Tripura: Anita Tripura wakes up at 3.30 a.m., pulls out her teesing-a large bamboo basket with aluminium pots stacked up inside it-and marches downhill in darkness. The teesing is attached to a long cloth-band that hangs from her forehead. A flickering kerosene lamp that she holds lights up the path through the jungle.

Anita and her husband farm about 25 kani (roughly 10 acres) and run a roadside tea stall, but most of her waking hours are spent on water. The 40-year-old who lives in Rajadhan Para (village) in Dhalai district ...