The school has always been known for its alternative, open form of education as an exploration of knowledge. Located in a campus far away from the city in forest-like surroundings, it has had to make do for its water requirements on its own. On the campus are two large water bodies. A small stream flows through it and adjacent is a beautiful large stone-lined open well with steps leading down to the bottom. The well is at least 50 years old and rarely ever has gone dry. Monkeys and deer inhabit the campus as does an occasional panther. Over 200 species of birds have been spotted.
It is therefore distressing to see a dryness enveloping the campus. The streams are dry, the lakes have dried up and the deep well too is dry. The 200-year-old banyan tree is a mute witness to the dryness, it must have seen many a drought period but perhaps none as extensive as this.
The response of the school has been to drill borewells. A depth of 700 feet has been reached and these are the lifeline water sources. Simultaneously efforts have been undertaken to de-silt the ponds and to increase their capacity to store rainwater. A grey water reuse and recycling system is being put in place.
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Educational institutions, homes, industries or any campus away from the city network and which have to make provision for their own water have to address the issue seriously. Scientists warn us that as a result of climate change the variability of rainfall will increase. This may mean longer dry periods and short but intense rainfall.
The mantra therefore will be to reduce demand to its optimum. By being as water efficient as possible and to eliminate superfluous demand for water completely. Living within the ecological resource availability can only happen when we understand what is available and how variable that availability can be. For this we must understand rainfall, the aquifers and groundwater available, the watershed we are in and the demands being put on the resource not only by us but by others in the water community nearby. This means the demand by others on the groundwater too.
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The next is to create a buffer by storing rainwater when it falls. The storage can be not only in lakes and ponds but also in the aquifers below the ground. Then follows recycling and reuse. By not polluting water irredeemably and by cleaning it up through biological and other process and by putting it back into the use cycle, the net demand on fresh water can be reduced considerably.
However as much as we do individually it is only through a larger community and then governance/action that we will be able to combat the water crisis upon us.
At the school, hopefully, rooftop rainwater harvesting will be taken up, the treated waste-water used for the trees and plants , water will be found for the deer, birds, insects and the panther. When it rains, the lakes and ponds will be ready to be filled up and recharge the groundwater.
The borewells will have meters to tell us how much water is being extracted and we will put in much more than what is taken out. The old well may then see water within itself. That is the only choice and that is water wisdom.