India’s centuries old stepwells may serve as solution to water conservation

New Delhi, July 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) As people are increasingly feeling the heat of global warming, the issue of water conversation is surfacing across all the nations. However, India had been doing this for centuries. Water has been conserved in India since ancient times.

India's "Khandani Khazana" (family treasure) or stepwells were used by our illustrious ancestors to store "liquid assets" or water.

They are most common in western India and are also found in the other arid regions of the Indian subcontinent. The construction of stepwells is mainly utilitarian, though they may include embellishments of architectural significance, and be temple tanks.

Stepwells are examples of the many types of storage and irrigation tanks that were developed in India, mainly to cope with seasonal fluctuations in water availability. These were built to make it easier for people to reach, maintain and manage groundwater levels.

The stepwell can be considered to originate from need to ensure water during the period of drought, and in the deep relationship of faith in the water Gods as conspicuous even in the Vedas of around 1,000 BC.

Stepwells were not only used for water conservation and access, but also served as sites for religious ceremonies and rituals. Some were used as monuments, and were highly decorated with elaborate carved images.
According to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, by 2030, it is targeted to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.

Thus, replicating India's ancient model, many nations can build stepwell in areas where there is water scarcity, that will save hundreds of lives.

In India, stepwells are found in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh mainly.
These stepwells are generally dependent on the recharge from nearby surface water sources viz. village ponds, streams, canals and in some cases nearby rivers.

The location of these ancient wells is unique in the sense that even during dry period of the year most of these wells have water in them, highlighting the ancient wisdom of craftsmen in those days. Most of these wells are part of phreatic aquifers of various formation s such as alluvial, basaltic and phyllite.

In view of their structural uniqueness as well as their role in water conservation, Government of Gujarat decided under mission mode, from 2007-08 to 2011-12, to revive, clean up and rejuvenate these stepwells, which are named as "Jal-Mandir" - Water Temple - as these are part of our national heritage.

Nearly 1200 Jal- Mandirs were identified all over the State. Considering the importance of these heritage structures, Government of Gujarat renovated several stepwells under Jal Mandir Yojana. The thrust of the scheme is to see that these heritage structures are protected, made useful to the community as well as maintained properly.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also referred to the Jal Mandir campaign during his interaction with Gram Panchayats and Pani Samitis on Jal Jeevan Mission in October, 2021.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) took up the works as per National Conservation Policy 2014 for renovation and restoration of all the monuments under ASI including natural and man-made step wells, ports, pond, tanks or lakes.

The Government of India is also contemplating a specific National policy towards protecting natural and manmade step wells, ports, ponds, tanks or lakes.

The Ministry of Jal Shakti under Government of India has taken up a nationwide campaign "Jal Shakti Abhiyan - Catch the Rain" with the theme "Catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls" for creating appropriate rainwater harvesting structures in urban and rural areas of all the districts in the country, with people's active participation, during the pre-monsoon and monsoon periods.

The campaign, primarily focusing on saving and conserving rainwater, was launched by the Prime Minister on 22 March, 2021, the World Water Day. Revival of traditional rainwater harvesting structures like stepwells has been envisaged as a critical part of this initiative.

The concept of Jal-Mandirs may be very useful in those areas where groundwater table is high and no assured supply schemes are available namely tube well or municipal supplies.

Replication of this concept in such areas appears advantageous.

In the absence of electricity in those times, the step-wells were a reliable source of ground water for the population, travellers and princely armies on-the-move. The concept is innovative especially from the point of view of sustainability of village water supply system by inculcating the sense of responsibility among people and motivating them towards maintaining the system by attaching social and religious facets to it which is vital for water conservation.

Source: IANS