In the scorching heat of Bundelkhand, a semi-arid region spanning Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, the struggle for water is intensifying caste divisions. 40-year-old Mamta from Jalaun district treks miles daily to collect water from handpumps that serve as the sole source of water for her village's 1,000 residents. The region, notorious for its droughts between 2002 and 2016, is experiencing worsening heat and water stress due to climate change, making access to clean water even more challenging. Dalits, historically marginalized in India's caste system, face additional barriers at shared water sources. They often wait for upper-caste residents to finish using the pumps before approaching them and endure "cleansing" rituals after use. This caste-based discrimination is exacerbating as the scarcity of water escalates tensions. Local officials dispute these claims, but Dalit residents report a lack of formal queuing systems at the pumps, leading to informal scheduling and increased waiting times during summer months when water demands increase. The Dalit Dignity and Justice Centre documented 113 cases of caste-based discrimination in the area in 2025, with many complaints involving water scarcity. As temperatures continue to rise and groundwater depletion persists, addressing both the physical and social aspects of this crisis is crucial for the region's future.