Tap into open wells

Does your apartment have an open well? Sekar Raghavan, director, Rain Centre, tells Hema Vijay how these wells can be a perpetual source of freshwater

December 19, 2014 07:27 pm | Updated 08:14 pm IST

Rediscover the potential of open wells by channelling rainwater into it

Rediscover the potential of open wells by channelling rainwater into it

Some decades ago, most residences in the city drew water from shallow aquifers (water beds) through open dug wells. We now use bore wells to tap water from deep aquifers. Considering that the shallow aquifers in the city have been enriched by rainwater harvesting measures since 2003, this is rather like depositing money in one bank and trying to draw from another.

Besides, scores of bore wells both within and outside the city have started running dry, even though we bore deeper and deeper.

Rain Centre, an NGO that works on the sustainable use of fresh water sources, has embarked on a programme to get the city’s residents to rediscover the water potential of open wells in their residences. The organisation invites residents to participate in its survey. Volunteers of the Centre will monitor fluctuations in the water table in the open wells in these residences once every month for a year, to assess their vitality, and guide residents in amplifying the water potential of these wells. Sekar Raghavan, director, Rain Centre, Mandavelipakkam, throws light on the potential of open wells in the city.

How do shallow aquifers/open wells hold the potential to be a perpetual source of water?

Shallow aquifers lie above the earth’s rocky layer, while deep aquifers lie within the rocky layer. Rain water doesn’t reach deep aquifers and so cannot recharge them.

Considering the need for parking space within residences, where can we find space for open wells?

It is a myth that an open well has to have a parapet wall around it and that the water from it has to be drawn using a pot-and-pulley. Open wells can be safely located on drive ways and car parks. The cover used over it can be strong enough to take the load of a lorry driving over it. Just as in our water sumps, this lid can be periodically lifted and the water level in it examined. An open well can be 25-30 feet deep, and 3-6 feet in diameter.

How can we draw water from it?

By introducing a suction pipe and installing a pump and a motor. We can use the same pump and motor for both open well and bore well with a wheel valve arrangement.

How can we enhance the water potential of open wells?

Channel the rainwater falling on the rooftop into the open well or a recharge well. And the driveway/setback area runoff rain water can be directed into one or more recharge wells.

Can every residence have its own open well?

Open wells can also be created in , and the expenses recovered from water bills saved. Many residences might be having open wells, which can be revived.

For instance, when owners of an apartment complex in Adyar contacted our centre for guidance as their bore well had run dry, we discovered in its driveway an open well that had been paved over.

We found that this well had water at 10feet depth from ground surface, and this water column was 13 feet high. This apartment started drawing this water and this open well meets a huge share of their water requirement.

To participate in this survey, residents may contact Sekar Raghavan, at 96770 43869 or email him at sekar1479@yahoo.co.in

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