There were several issues, from art and architecture to syncretic schools of thought, that were discussed at an international seminar on Deccan Heritage, but what caught the attention of the former President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was Karez systems, the underground waterways built in the medieval era.
Dr. Kalam was here to deliver the valedictory address at the seminar and began his speech with the Karez system. “I had not heard of such underground rain water harvesting and filtering systems till I came to Bidar. I am excited about them,” he told the gathering at the zilla rang mandir on Thursday.
He said that he was excited to know the level of technological advancement in the Deccan during the medieval era. “It is great to see that with limited tools and resources, engineers of those days created such structures that could serve us for eternity,” he said.
Dr. Kalam requested the district administration to send him literature related to the Karez system. “I will study them in detail. I will also ask my fellow scientists and geologists who are experts in this field,” he said.
He said that preserving and recharging underground water levels was the responsibility of every citizen.
“We should realise that such conservation efforts start from saving water every day,” he said. V. Govindan Kutty, groundwater expert from Calicut university, and C. Kunjambu, water diviner and Karez practitioner, had spoken in the session on Karez systems on Wednesday.
