In the Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh, women folk are forced to walk three kilometres for the only source of clean water nearby. A 300 year old step well near the village of Chandrashekharpuram is a welcome alternative to an area in its fourth consecutive year of drought. Said to be built by the ‘Gandi brothers’ as suggested by a seer, it has been heralded as an architectural marvel especially considering other nearby sources are fluoride affected. Yet even this source is drying up as local woman Tiuptamma says, “There used to be plenty of water in the well when I was a girl. But it is no longer so.”