11/02/2019 - Environment

IAS Parliament 6 years

KEY POINTS

In India, a warming climate is drying up lakes and rivers, while rapid urbanisation and water pollution are putting enormous pressure on the quantity and quality of surface and groundwater; we need the traditional knowledge of our ancestors to conserve water resources.

Bawaris

· Bawaris are unique stepwells that were once a part of the ancient networks of water storage in the cities of Rajasthan.

· The little rain that the region received would be diverted to man-made tanks through canals built on the hilly outskirts of cities.

· The water would then percolate into the ground, raising the water table and recharging a deep and intricate network of aquifers.

· To minimise water loss through evaporation, a series of layered steps were built around the reservoirs to narrow and deepen the wells.

Eri

· The Eri (tank) system of Tamil Nadu is one of the oldest water management systems in India. Eris act as flood-control systems, prevent soil erosion and wastage of runoff during periods of heavy rainfall, and also recharge the groundwater.

· The tanks are interconnected in order to enable access to the farthest village and to balance the water level in case of excess supply.

· The eri system enables the complete use of river water for irrigation and without them, paddy cultivation would have been impossible in Tamil Nadu.

Vangchhia’s (Mizoram), ancient art of holding water in rocks

· Holes in hill slopes were to channel water into rock fissures.

· It is remarkable that they trapped rainwater flowing down the slopes by making holes to let the water flow in and be stored in the fissures and veins of the rocks.