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Hello..I am Dr. Pinki Purkayastha, Chandrani is my other name.I am an Environmental Scientist by profession...I love to write articles, poems, stories and dramas tooo.....
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Friday, June 11, 2010



Traditional water harvesting methods in India : Pinki Purkasyastha (Chandrani)

water has been harvested in India since antiquity..our ancestors were expert in the art water harvsting .its is to be noted that,
  • They harvested the rain drop directly. From rooftops, they collected water and stored it in tanks built in their courtyards. From open community lands, they collected the rain and stored it in artificial wells.
  • They harvested monsoon runoff by capturing water from swollen streams during the monsoon season and stored it various forms of water bodies.
  • They harvested water from flooded rivers...
In India , stating from kashmir to kanyakumaki and gujrat to assam everywhere we find the existance of different types of water harvestings systems designed and maintained by following the traditional methods and techniques of different communities native to those particular areas...

Different water harvesting systems are generally known by different names in different areas of the country such as..
Eco-zone Traditional water harvesting systems Description Found in
1. Trans-Himalayan Region Zing Tanks for collecting water from melted ice Ladakh
2. Western Himalayas Kul Water channels in mountain areas Jammu, Himachal Pradesh
Naula Small ponds Uttaranchal
Kuhl Headwall across a ravine to divert water from a natural stream for irrigation Himachal Pradesh
Khatri Chambers carved in hard rock for storing water Himachal Pradesh
3. Eastern Himalayas Apatani Terraced plots connected by inlet and outlet channels Arunachal Pradesh
4. Northeastern Hill Ranges Zabo Impounding runoff Nagaland
Cheo-oziihi Channels from rivers Nagaland
Bamboo drip irrigation Water from streams in the hills is brought to the plains via bamboo pipes for drip irrigation Meghalaya
5. Brahmaputra Valley Dongs Ponds Assam
Dungs / jampois Small irrigation canals linking rice fields and a stream W. Bengal
6. Indo-Gangetic Plain Ahar-pynes Embanked catchment basin and channels S. Bihar
Bengal's inundation channels Inundation canals W. Bengal
Dighis Small square or circular reservoir fed by canals from rivers Delhi
Baolis Stepwells Delhi
7. Thar Desert Kunds / kundis Underground storage W.Rajasthan
Kuis / beris Deep pits near tanks W.Rajasthan
Baoris / bers Community wells Rajasthan
Jhalaras Tank Rajasthan, Gujarat
Nadi Village ponds Jodhpur, Rajasthan
Tankas Underground tank Bikaner, Rajasthan
Khadins Embankment across lower hill slopes Jaisalmer, W. Rajasthan
Vav / Vavdi / Baoli / Bavadi Stepwells Gujarat, Rajasthan
Virdas Shallow wells Rann of Kutch, Gujarat
Paar Area where water has percolated, accessed by kuis -
8. Central Highlands Talab / Bandhis Reservoirs Bundelkhand, Madhya Pradesh
Saza Kuva Open well Mewar, E. Rajasthan
Johads Earthen check dams Alwar district, Rajasthan
Naada / bandh Stone check dam Mewar, Thar desert
Pat Diversion bund across stream Jhabua district, Madhya Pradesh
Rapat Percolation tank Rajasthan
Chandela tank Tank Rajasthan
Bundela tank Tank Rajasthan
9. Eastern Highlands Katas / Mundas / Bandhas Earthen embankments across drainage lines Orissa & Madhya Pradesh
10. Deccan Plateau Cheruvu Reservoirs to store runoff Chitoor,Cuddapah districts of Andhra Pradesh
Kohli tanks Tanks Maharashtra
Bhandaras Check dams Maharashtra
Phad Check dams and canals North western Maharashtra
Kere Series of tanks Central Karnataka
Ramtek Model Intricate network of groundwater and surface waterbodies, connected through surface and underground canals Ramtek, Maharashtra
11. Western Ghats Surangam Horizontal well Kasargode, Kerala
12. Western Coastal Plains Virdas Shallow wells Rann of Kutch, Gujarat
13. Eastern Ghats Korambu Temporary wall of brushwood, grass and mud laid across channels to raise the level of water Kerala
14. Eastern Coastal Plains Yeri Tank Tamilnadu
Ooranis Pond Tamilnadu
15. The Islands Jackwells Bamboo pipes are used to lead water into shallow pits Great Nicobar Island

(source-
http://cpreec.org/)

so, we see that our country is so much rich in traditional knowledge related to water harvesting....

water harvesting down the ages in India-
India has a rich history of water harvesting systems-

Tanks in the Indus – Sarasvati Valley

The excavations at Harappa and Mohenjodaro reveal deep rectangular constructions that were probably the earliest tanks built in India.



3rd millennium B.C. Dams built of stone rubble were found in Baluchistan and Kutch
3000 – 1500 B.C.
Indus - Sarasvati Civilization had several reservoirs to collect rainwater runoff. Each house had an individual well

321 – 291 B.C.
Archeological evidence for dams, lakes and irrigation systems in the time of Chandragupta Maurya’s rule
3rd Century B.C. Kautilya’s Arthasastra mentions irrigation using water harvesting systems
1st Century B.C. Sringaverapura near Allahabad had a sophisticated water harvesting system using the floodwaters of the Ganges
2nd Century A.D. Grand Anicut or Kallanai built by Karikala Chola across the river Cauvery to divert water for irrigation is still functional
11th Century A.D. King Bhoja of Bhopal built the largest artificial lake (65,000 acres) in India fed by streams and springs
12th Century A.D. Rajatarangini by Kalhana describes a well- maintained irrigation system in Kashmir.


Most important thing associated with the traditional systems of water harvesting is their technology, pattern , and design. Those systems were built considering the ecology,rainfall pattern and the geography of the particular area. As for example-

a. In the hills and mountainous regions where there are plenty of streams, simple engineering structures were used to divert the water into channels that fed the fields. The structures became more sophisticated and much bigger when the streams turned to rivers.

b. In the arid and semi-arid regions, where the streams are more seasonal, the diversion channels first led the water to a storage structure like a tank for later use. Storage systems to collect just runoff from the watershed were also built.

c. In the flood plains, several unique systems to control and harness the floodwaters were devised.

d. In the coastal areas where there is danger of river water turning saline, several ingenious ways came up to regulate the flow of saline water.

e. In regions with good groundwater aquifers, dugwells with innovative methods to lift the water were in use. Deep wells were dug in the beds of tanks and rivers, both to serve as a source of good water when the water recedes and also to recharge the groundwater when they are fully submerged.

f. In areas where rainfall is the only option, people devised methods to literally “catch rainwater where it fell”.

so, it proves that the intellectual level of our ancestors was so high.... they knew the needs of water harvesting and fully aware of the ecology, geography, geology etc.Now following our ancestors it is our duty to conserve nature and natural water by practising water harvesting because storage of water
by forming waterbodies leads to the percolation of standing water into the ground and recharging the water table.Wells in the surrounding areas have plenty of good water that increases Green cover in the sorrounding areas. these systems help in reduction of floods and runoff ....and protect life and livelihood......


Save water....save future....................




7 comments:

  1. all time my fefrt ...hann. tumhari jarurat hai ,es duniya ko samajh pane ke liye ......nice ..

    ReplyDelete
  2. We are seriously takenup this project 5 years ago.

    Guntur Municipal corporation in Andhrapradesh has appointed one of our members as the expert to certify the construction of the rain water collection pit.

    i'm happy to meet a person with concern and a lot of info. Really glad.

    ReplyDelete
  3. thank u Deviprasad ji .thanks a lot for showing so much interest . nice to meet u. thank u Pavan ji, deepu ji and Pulak ji

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very Good Information.. Such a useful

    ReplyDelete