How to save water the old way | India News

The water crisis in India has sent alarm bells ringing and prompted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to appeal to citizens to create awareness and share knowledge of traditional water conservation. TOI took a tour of several villages across the country — where many of the old water conservation methods have been kept alive — and found that amid water scarcity and rapidly depleting groundwater in the country, traditional wisdom has come to the rescue in many a parched land. Uttarakhand: Stone-lined tanksPeople in the hills of Uttarakhand worship naulas — fondly called water temples — many of which were built by the Katyuri and Chand dynasties in the 7th century. These small stone structures are meant to store water that sees rapid run-off in the hills. Trees such as madeera, banj, kharsu are planted nearby to boost water accumulation. Over 64,000 of these water retaining structures exist in the hill state out of which 60,000 have now dried up. large nocaption70242941But three years ago, one man in a remote village in Ranikhet realised the need to revive these traditional water storage systems. Bishan Singh, 42, was reeling under the sudden demise of his mother when he was told that there was no water for her funeral rites. The village in Gagas valley was experiencing a dry spell and all the naulas there were empty. “I walked several kilometres to fetch water and then vowed to revive the naulas.” He started a ‘Naula Foundation’ and today there are about 500 ‘naula warriors’, working tirelessly to get them flowing again. In Almora district, they were joined by women groups and have successfully revived over 20 naulas. The women start by building a ‘chaal-khaal’ which is a wetland with grass and vegetation that retains groundwater. No grazing is allowed and eventually the land evolves into a wetland area helping naulas store more water. Naulas vary in size from 1 metre long to 10 metres. medium nocaption70242957To ensure naulas are not defiled, they are dedicated to Lord Vishnu and a stone idol is placed inside to protect the water. medium70257679Rajasthan: Water pits in housesWhile many parts of Rajasthan remain parched every summer, Guda Bishoniyan village in Jodhpur has enough water to drink and then some. The reason: Every house here has a tanka to collect rainwater. Tankas are underground structures that store rainwater which flows into it through filtered inlets on the external wall of the structure. Depending upon the capacity of the tanka, it can store enough water to feed a family for up to seven months. But apart from tankas, the village also has man-made talaabs and beris.Bhawar Lal, a priest at a temple near a 500-year-old talaab (pond) in the village, said that every household has a tanka which has enough water to fulfill daily needs but even during a long dry spell there is enough water in beris. “We have numerous beris which are maintained and cleaned regularly.” Beris are basically wells dug up in places where percolated rainwater can get channelised towards it. While building a beri, one can stop digging after they hit clay or gypsum which prevent further percolation of the stored rainwater. The mouth of the beri is narrow to prevent loss through evaporation. 70242972 In other parts of Jodhpur, nadis or johads (small ponds) have kept water crisis at bay. Nadis collect water from an adjoining natural catchment during the rainy season and it can last for several months. In Bhagtasni village near Jodhpur, nadis have served as a lifeline for several years.Hukum Singh, a 70-year-old resident, said that water from a 200-year-old nadi in their village lasts almost the entire year. “My ancestors have drawn water from the nadi and so do I.” large nocaption70243060In Rajasthan too, bodies that conserve water are considered pious. Vikram Singh from Barli village said, “Most talaabs and nadis have temples on their banks. They are not just a source of water but sacrosanct for everyone. Water and worship go hand in hand here.” medium70258002Kerala: Horizontal wells, palm tanksNo temples are as revered in Wayanad as the unassuming kenis — centuries old mini wells — that have ensured water for the Mullu Kuruma tribe even during the harshest of summers. Kenis are cylindrical structures dug a metre-deep that are ringed with a wooden wall made of toddy palm (caryota urens). Most of the kenis are centuries old and located in wetlands where the water table is near or above the ground level and water emerges as a spring. large nocaption70243046Today, elders look for certain biological indicators — presence of trees like vateria indica, ficus virens or termite mounds — to select the site for kenis. It’s a long and slow process. The palm trunk that is used is cut a year before and soaked in water so that the spongy softwood core disintegrates and the remaining outer hardwood, which has excellent filtration properties, is inserted into the pit.A study by the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), Kozhikode, had shown that some kenis still yield more than 1,000 litres a day throughout the year. Girish Gopinath, an associate professor at Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), who was involved in the CWRDM study as a senior scientist, said that water drawn from kenis meets drinking standards.The significance of kenis is deeply rooted in the Mullu Kuruma culture and tradition. “We consider kenis to be a blessing from God. It is customary that every newborn in the hamlet is first given a bath with water drawn from a keni. Also, brides collect a pot of water from keni and offer it at Veliyapura, the abode of our ancestors. When a person dies, the body is bathed with keni water before funeral,” said Chomi, a 74-year-old at Tirumugham Colony in Pakkom,Wayanad.Some 200km away, in Kasaragod, horizontal wells or ‘surangas’ have fed water to a large population for centuries. C Kunjambu, the ‘waterman’ of Kasaragod, is credited with reviving this traditional method of harvesting in these parts as well as neighbouring Karnataka. medium nocaption70243098In Kasaragod alone, over 1,000 surangas have been built by Kunjambu over the past 50 years. As Kunjambu went down the slippery steps of an old suranga he built as a teenager, he explained that once dug on a hillside, they last for a lifetime. “It can be 100 to 150 metres long. Using a tiny pick-axe, the well digger goes deep into the laterite hillside or loose soil till the source of the spring is found. Once the tunnel reaches the source of the groundwater, a small reservoir is built, from where the water is brought through pipes to storage tanks or wells.”Kunjambu added that a single man can dig a suranga, but it may take up to a month and claustrophobia is common. medium70259978Untitled Carousel 69884460Untitled Carousel 69783520Vineet Upadhyay in Uttarakhand, Yeshika Budhwar and Ajay Parmar in Rajasthan, Rajeev KR in Wayanad, Sudhakaran P in Kasaragod