Around 16 historic bawadis (open wells) in Vijayapura are being revived so as to restore their legacy.
M.B. Patil, district In-charge Minister, has mobilised various major contractors and industries to offer financial aid under Corporate Social Responsibility to revive these bawadis.
Mr. Patil, who received an estimate from Krishna Bhagya Jal Nigam Ltd. for the revival of the bawadis, has entrusted the job to the city corporation to be complete in a time-bound manner.
Harsha Shetty, Corporation Commissioner, told The Hindu that of the total estimated ₹4.11 crore, the corporation has received ₹2.5 crore which is being used for the ambitious project. Mr. Shetty said that of the total 16 selected bawadis, the work is under way in six, including the largest and most iconic Taj Bawadi of the city. “For the first phase, we have selected these six bawadis. The remaining will be taken up when we receive more funds and permission from ASI as some of the wells fall under ASI limits,” he said. He added that the corporation plans to complete the revival before the monsoon.
With regard to Taj Bawadi, Mr. Shetty said that heavy machines of 110HP have been used to draw water. “After drawing out the water, the next big challenge is to remove the silt that is accumulated for decades. We will remove the silt and then erect a fence around the bawadi to prevent people from immersing Ganesh idols or throwing garbage into it,” he said
Meanwhile, many people are happy to learn that Taj Bawadi was being cleaned. Some claim that it was about fifteen years ago, that the effort was made to remove the water and clear the Bawadi, but the job remained incomplete.
According to historians, the square-shaped gigantic Taj Bawadi was built by Ibrahim Adil Shah-II for the people of the city. For decades, it was a main source of water to city during the Adil Shahi era. But over time, owing to lack of maintenance, the water got contaminated owing to dumping.
