Sustainable Water Practices from Traditional Indian Culture
India has had a long history of water conservation through harvesting and storage. This is because, traditionally, the country relied only on the monsoon season for rain, which lasted 3-4 months. The people knew the importance of its conservation, particularly that of rainwater, for meeting their water needs in the long term.
Communities from different locations of the country came up with unique ways of water harvesting and management that suited the local topography, climate, and precipitation in their respective areas. Stepwells of Gujarat, Tanks of Tamil Nadu, Johads of Rajasthan, Zabo system of Nagaland are examples of traditional water harvesting systems that have helped people meet their domestic and agricultural water needs.
These systems are the summation of traditional knowledge of the water cycle, water harvesting, storage, maintenance of quality, and proper utilization, even during the lean water period. These systems use minimal or no fossil fuel-based energy and are not technology-intensive. All the community members collectively own them, and therefore, the community collectively determines the responsibility for ownership and allocation of water.
Adaptation measures are being taken to better conserve these traditional water resources and harvest rainwater for future use due to the changing monsoon pattern. Revival of local rainwater harvesting systems on a global level could provide substantial savings in water for nature and society. Traditional technology, like ponds and earthen embankments, continues to be the mainstay in most parts of the country when it comes to meeting the requirements of the domestic and agricultural sectors.
Water Resource Management in the Trans Himalaya
In the difficult, water-scarce areas of the Trans Himalayas, water storage is done by melting ice in tanks called khuds or kuhls. Kuhls prevents runoff and helps meet irrigation needs without using complicated machinery run by electricity. This also helps to make maximum use of scarce resources. The water flows from field to field, irrigating the terraced fields and preventing runoff. This also prevents excessive water, as the surplus is drained back into the tanks.
In Ladakh, which receives less rainfall than the deserts, melting snow is the only water source. Snow melt flows down in the form of a stream in the evening. By then, it is too late for irrigation. Traditionally, the people of Ladakh had a system of diverting water from the streams and storing it in tanks called zings so that it could be used for irrigation in the morning through channels.
A similar system exists today where a network of guiding channels brings the water from the glacier to the zing. During the day, the channels fill up as the glacier melts; in the afternoon, this turns into flowing water. The water that collects by the end of the day is used the next day.
Groundwater Utilization in Western Ghats
Surangas can be translated to tunnels, a traditional water harvesting system in Western Ghats, especially in the Kasargod District of Kerala. The local people cannot depend on surface water as the discharge in rivers is too high in monsoons and too low at other times. They, therefore, rely on groundwater, which they access through surangas.
A suranga is a cave that is manually dug through laterite rocks. The site of the suranga is traditionally identified by studying the slope, soil structure, catchment area, flora, and fauna. The digging is carried on till the water is struck and flows out of the tunnel to be collected in a pond or tank constructed outside the suranga.
The length of the tunnel can range from 30-300 m and in the case of longer ones, vertical air shafts are provided at regular intervals to maintain the atmospheric pressure. Many families in Kasargod depend on this water for drinking, domestic, and sometimes irrigation needs. The cost of digging the suranga and constructing the pond is the only cost involved in this system, as there is practically no maintenance cost.
Subin P Thomas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
River Water Harvesting in Rajasthan
Rajasthan has very few perennial rivers because of its geographical location. Temporary lakes were called Khadeens to provide for water needs. The rivers that flow during the rainy season are held in Khadeen.
In summer, when the Khadeen dried up, the soil remained wet, allowing crops to be cultivated. Khadeen is built below the sloppy land, and the soil embankment is raised around its two sides, with the pucca sheet around the third side. It spreads over an area of about 5 to 7 Km. Even barren land can be cultivable using the Khadeen technique. The place where the water collects is known as Khadeen, and the dam that checks it is known as Khadeen Dam.
Akmu.cazri, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rain Water Harvesting in Gujarat
In the arid climate of Gujarat, water is available in plenty during the rainy season. Still, it cannot be stored in shallow wells at other times due to the risk of evaporation in high temperatures. The stepwells (locally known as Vav) were dug deep into the ground to reach the water table and were not just a place for storing water but also a space for the community to interact while washing and cleaning.
These multiple-use water sources were strategically positioned, and their location indicates the purposes for which they were used. For example, if a vav was located within the boundaries of a village, it was generally used for domestic purposes such as drinking water and washing clothes.
The stepwells that were placed in the periphery of a village, dotted along trade or pilgrimage routes, would serve as resting lodges as well as a space for intercultural interaction.
Flood Water Harvesting for Irrigation in Bihar
Ahar Pyne is a traditional floodwater harvesting system in Bihar where floods are common. This system continues to irrigate substantial areas even today as it ensures equity in water distribution in fragmented land holdings and promotes community participation and distribution of responsibilities.
It is a system that utilises water that otherwise would have been wasted. The soil here is porous and sandy and is, therefore, unable to hold water. As a result of this poor water retention capacity, the groundwater levels are low. The rivers get replenished, and the water table rises only during the monsoon, but due to run-off, eventually, the water percolates, leaving the soil sandy and dry.
The Ahar Pyne is a catchment basin embanked on three sides, while the natural gradient of the land itself forms the fourth side. Pynes are artificial irrigation channels diverted from rivers.
Non-Mechanised Water Lifting System in Rajasthan
The Saza Kuwa are open wells from which water is lifted using an elaborate mechanical structure but without electricity. Cattle (buffaloes or camels) lift the water by rotating a large gear-like structure that does not require electric power. A huge circular hill or elevated platform is constructed with the soil dug out to make the pit for the well.
A rehat or wheel is a traditional water-lifting device placed on the platform. The sloping platform is the chada, which is like a ladder and, when rotated by the animals, moves the wheel to help draw water. This large and complex structure requires no fossil fuels to meet the water needs of a large community.
These structures are jointly owned and constructed by farmers with land adjacent to each other. This ensures maximum use of resources. It is especially popular in eastern Rajasthan even today, where most farmers are still small and marginal and cannot afford private, highly mechanised, and resource-intensive water structures.
Rejuvenating the Water Table in Tamil Nadu
Eris are tanks that are found in the state of Tamil Nadu. They are a major water source as one-third of Tamil Nadu’s cultivated lands are irrigated through these water harvesting structures. These were constructed with the micro-climate and ecological harmony in mind as they prevent soil erosion and runoffs and rejuvenate the water table. They also act as flood control systems.
The presence of these tanks near temples makes these sites self-sufficient and serves as a place of social interaction. Many religions are characterised by the presence of tanks and other water storage structures. The concept of ablutions as a ritual is an integral part of almost all religious practices.
Water Harvesting in the Hilly Terrain of North-East India
The hill streams are tapped as soon as they emerge from forest and water is channeled to connect in a series of terraces. In this system water flows continuously from upper to lower terraces. This irrigation method is widely used in nonfertile land to raise paddy.
Submergence of water up to 5-8 cm is maintained throughout the year. After harvesting the paddy at a length, the straws are left to rot in the field to improve soil quality. Bench terracing is a vital conservation measure for valleys and hill slopes. In bench terrace agriculture practice, topo sequence crops such as maize, beans, and potatoes are planted on upper slopes, and crops requiring more water, such as rice and jute, are grown on lower slopes. The nutrient-rich excess runoff from the upper portion of the slope is used for the lower hill crops. 
Anja Disseldorp, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Earthen Pot as a Water Cooler
The earthen pot is a staple in almost every household of India. Come summer the streets are lined with these earthen pots, which people gladly welcome home. These pots keep drinking water cool, thus quenching the summer thirst more satisfactorily. A wet muslin cloth is wrapped on its sides to further cool the water, making the water a few degrees cooler. Different types of locally available clays are used in making these pots.
The water inside the earthen pot is cool due to the evaporation process. The earthen pot has tiny pores on the surface, and water evaporates very quickly through these pores. Due to this evaporation process, the heat of the water inside the pot is lost, which lowers the temperature of the water.
த.உழவன், CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This is the final post in a series covering many of India’s sustainable traditional practices for water conservation with the hope of motivating the readers to become sustainable citizens of the world. We thank Ketki from Ecokats, an Indian ecologist and sustainable travel blogger, for sharing lessons we can learn from India’s Sustainable Traditional Practices.
We hope that you can pick up some tips to incorporate into your lifestyle by harnassing traditions from India. Don’t miss the rest of the series
Discuss and Share
These sustainable traditional practices for water conservation are still prevalent in large parts of India to make the best use of water. Water is a precious resource and different cultural regions around India have many years of practice conserving and preserving water resources.
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