The well diggers are back
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RWH has given a new lease of life to a dying skill
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As the government urges its citizens to adopt rainwater harvesting and turn water conservation into a movement, attention will quickly move to the people who actually do the plumbing and the well digging.
India and Bangalore, fortunately, have a history of this trade being practised for years. Communities of people have specialised in tank construction, well digging and stone steining of the wells. The innumerable tanks spread all across the State are
a tribute to their skills.
Meet Muniyappa, a well digger from a small village near Sarjapur. Traditionally, his people have been well diggers. Since the 1980s, when the groundwater table dropped sharply and borewells came into prominence, they have shifted to digging toilet pits or foundation digging. Now that rainwater harvesting has picked up, he takes great pleasure in digging recharge wells. He has dug more than 250 recharge wells, making him one of the topmost water harvesters of the nation.
He and his sons form a team, understand the soil condition, determine the size and the depth of the well, determine how it is to be lined and once the work begins he finishes the job in a day. He is constantly challenging others to provide him more jobs and enjoys his work thoroughly.
His goal — 1,000 recharge wells in the immediate future to harvest rain and recharge the groundwater. Since Bangalore itself needs around 100,000 recharge wells if it has to harvest all the rainwater, the city needs a 1,000 Muniappas. Rainwater harvesting has revived a tradition and a trade in danger of disappearing and brought employment to many.
Meet Babu, a 21 year old from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. He came to the city and picked up the trade on the fly working with an experienced plumber.
He has picked up skills within a short time and now can do all the piping, filtering and storage systems for rainwater harvesting and greywater reuse.
He is so very enthusiastic of his job that on his own he has invented a first rain separator and takes a youngster’s pride in being appreciated for his creativity.
His skills and that of his team will also be necessary for the city as it goes about looking for sustainability in its water resources.
Tapping traditional skills and modifying them for current requirements, increasing employability for young job seekers in trades such as plumbing and investing in people and ideas will make our urban spaces and our economy vibrant.
It will provide employment in sustainable technologies and will address the growing water demand as multiple sourcing of water becomes the norm rather than the exception. Fly-by-night operators need to be replaced by dedicated doers.
The tribe of Muniappa and Babu needs to grow fast and our institutions and the market has to invest in them sooner rather than later.
In people, tradition, modernity and skills lies water wisdom.
www.rainwaterclub.org www.arghyam.org
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