In association with the Government of Telangana, GHMC and Pernod Ricard India Charitable Foundation, SAHE has structured the first ever Lake Protection Committee that includes the Government, Citizens and Corporates working together for the common cause. The results have been truly encouraging!

The city of Hyderabad has been home to 800 lakes. Most of them have disappeared, leaving only 185 lakes alive as on today. These lakes are not in a good condition. The Kudikunta Lake has a population of about 25,000 and lot of waste used to be dumped and sewage released into the lake. All of which has been stopped now due to the restoration activities taken up by SAHE. Frothing of the lake acted as the point of action and motivation to restore it. The major solutions are drafted below:

 If we come together as communities to prevent lakes turning into public hazards.  Keeping the lake periphery clean with reduction in plastic usage with right disposal of waste & support from the government, we can thrive to restore what is left of the lakes.   

Contact Person – Kalpana Ramesh  

Mobile – +91 9885285382            

Email ID – kalpanaramesh@kaava.co

The post “Live the Lakes” – The Kudikunta Restoration appeared first on SAHE : Society for Advancement of Human Endeavour.

Jawahar Nagar is a village located in Medchal district, which falls under Shamirpet mandal. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has its dumpsite located in this village and about 3500 metric tons of waste generated in Hyderabad is disposed over here on a daily basis.

Drive past Trimulgherry and you start to get a whiff of the stench that awaits you down the road because most of the trucks that transport the garbage, pass through here. Once you reach the suburbs of Kapra, Keesara and Dammaiguda, the filth, insects and stench becomes unbearable. The health of these helpless residents of Jawahar Nagar are clearly at stake.

This dump site has been in active use since a decade and has now reached saturation level. The problems faced by the residents of this locality have been getting worse every year and they have now reached a point where they are afraid to even drink water from their own homes. The air here is impossible to breathe and the ground water has been contaminated by the leachate – the fluid from rotting garbage – that is seeping into the ground and polluting the ground water. Water filled from the taps here have an oily layer on top. Officials from the groundwater directorate claim that the groundwater here is full of harmful chemicals. The amount of Total Dissolved Salts (TDS) in the groundwater present in the water can cause kidney stones and heart diseases. There is also abundance of chemicals such as magnesium, which can cause gastric problems.

The contract of managing this dump site was awarded to the Ramky group which is responsible for carrying out the capping in this area. Capping is a scientific method by which the garbage is covered in such a way that the leachate does not get into the ground, but the contaminated ground water is testimony to the fact that this is not being done. They do not even have a leachate treatment plant that can handle the garbage of this magnitude so the oozing liquid just seeps into the ground. This liquid is so toxic that it dissolves the stones that it comes in contact with, so we can only imagine what it can do to the health of a person. When questioned, both GHMC and Ramky were evasive with their answers.

Ramky has been served a notice by the Telangana State Pollution Control Board for multiple violations of environmental laws and causing health hazards. The state government is thinking of taking over the management of the dump and scrapping their contract after reviewing their MoU.

In addition, the Chief Minister has also instructed the GHMC Commissioner Somesh Kumar to locate and develop more dumping yards around the city. Since, finding a large land area in Hyderabad district that is at least 200 acres is hard, the government is focusing on the neighboring districts of Ranga Reddy, Medak, Mahbubnagar and Nalgonda for creating new dump yards. This is still hard because obviously nobody is interested in having a dump yard close to their locality.

Before any of these actions are implemented, the government needs to check the legalities of the agreement with the Ramky group. It also has to streamline the collection and transportation of garbage. About 2,500 additional rickshaws and vehicles need to be procured for effective transportation of the garbage and the door-to-door, two-bin garbage collection system should be strictly enforced.

Nearby slaughter houses have got into habit of disposing raw animal carcasses without proper treatment. The treatment plant of the Ramky group is unable to treat such waste so the slaughter houses should be made to treat their waste before they pass their garbage to the dump yard.

The GHMC has plans to take over the work of the Ramky group and cap the dump within 102 acres of land earmarked for the same. The area allocated for the active capping is 74.66 acres and passive capping is 28 acres. GHMC will bear the Rs 33.86 crore required for the passive capping and Rs 102.97 crore for the active capping. Once the capping is concluded, the area can be utilized to set up solar or wind power plants.

As much as we blame the state government and the Ramky group for their negligence, we as citizens are equally at fault because we are the ones generating such humongous amounts of garbage. About 3500 tons of garbage is generated every day in Hyderabad. The average adult elephant weighs anything from 3 to 7 tons, so the city of Hyderabad generates garbage equivalent to the weight of 700 elephants every day! Everyone will agree that this is an alarming amount of garbage.

We need to reduce the amount of garbage we produce and reduce the load on the dump yard. This can be achieved in two ways:

1) Reduce the use of plastics and recycle and reuse them as much as possible so that they do not end up in the garbage.

2) Reduce the amount of kitchen garbage by using kitchen scraps to make compost at home. Those with a garden can create a compost pit in one corner of their garden while those living in apartments can use the compact composting bin that is available in the market these days.

It is imperative that private citizens, the government and corporates come together to solve this urgent crisis that is facing Hyderabad today. The health of our citizens and the environment of our beloved city is at stake.

The post Jawahar Nagar: A Toxic Time Bomb appeared first on SAHE : Society for Advancement of Human Endeavour.

Though there are many Karez systems in other parts of the world, Bidar Karez is unique for several reasons. An Iranian ground water expert, M.L. Khaneiki from UNESCO’s International Centre on Qanats and on Historic Hydraulic Structure shared – It is so extraordinary that it even has the potential to qualify for the UNESCO world heritage structure.

Khaneiki, on his recent visit to Bidar, demonstrated how it transfers water from low-lying watershed to the higher altitude without a mechanised motor. This is truly extraordinary feat of engineering. The Karez also combines the technique of reservoir, water duct and a stepped well- all into one.

At regular intervals along the channel, there were vertical vent that opened to the surface. These would serve as wells for the people on the ground.

And this is how the vents would look like:

There were around 25 such vertical vents which not only acted as ground water harvesting inlets but also helped maintain consistent and even air pressure inside the channel. Today, most of them are filled to the brim with garbage or encroached upon, with houses built on top of them.

If you must visualise the stunningly conceptualised Karez Channel, you could think of it as a giant stretched out flute – the cylindrical part is the water tunnel and the “holes” are the vertical vents positioned at strategic points and open to the ground surface.

Walking along the Karez, you find cubicles in the top places of the walls, which were presumably meant for the Karez workers to keep their belongings.

If we talk about quality of water available through Bidar Karez system, I was pleasantly surprised at how nature works so beautifully. Bidar Karez has a natural filtering system and works much the same way as the old water filter candles

The laterite rocks through which water seeps into the channels play the role of the porous, purifying candles in the water filter. The Karez channels have been exclusively dug through the laterite rocks precisely for this purpose -to make every square inch of the karez a rainwater harvesting and filtering system that provides pure, clean, drinking water to the fort and the city.

The Karez system of Bidar is one of the most environmentally sustainable, historical, traditional water supply systems.

Team YUVAA (Team of Youth United for Vigilance Awareness & Action) realised that and worked on reviving the long lost stepwells of Bidar.  What they gifted to Bidar in return is just phenomenal. They started with two defunct wells, carried on the restoration operations and within 15 – 20 days, one well became functional and started to percolate water.

While the team was cheering with happiness at their efforts, they took care to test the quality of water and found very little bacteria. They got the water treated and ensured it was fit for drinking.

Soon they realised that water reviving was not enough, it was also important that the water is used so it can be replenished. Hence, they started spreading awareness among dwellers that this water can be used for their daily chores. Though it was difficult initially, eventually women started to use the water.

Women complained that pulling water with rope was difficult, so the team helped them by installing mini water supply motor. It has been two years since the Karez system is functional and the team YUVAA still feels empowered to take on sustaining work of these stepwells and the Karez System.

Karez system in Bidar is one of the most promising revival and conservation project on modern-day usage of prehistoric heritage structures in India. This experiment has given enough reasons for locals to have pride in their built-in heritage rendering it as a benchmark for similar efforts in other heritage towns and cities.

Reference:

https://hydtrails.wordpress.com/2016/07/31/the-underground-marvels-of-bidar/

https://blogvirasatehind.com/2017/03/17/karez-system-of-bidar-a-persian-oasis-in-deccan/

The post Stepwells – An ode to the Karez System of Bidar appeared first on SAHE : Society for Advancement of Human Endeavour.

Added to this, the immersion of Ganesha idols in water bodies goes unabated. The destruction cannot even be described. The POP Ganeshas take a lot of time to dissolve in water, but even when they do, they leave a lot lead and heavy metal residue. You can read more about this in this blog. In a week or ten days, almost all water bodies are clogged leading to stagnation. Just imagine the money that needs to be spent on infrastructure, earth movers, and sanitation trucks to clean the mess!

The questions we really need to ask ourselves are these – Do we need this? Can we reduce the garbage load on our city this year by bidding farewell to Ganesha at home?

YOU CAN TAKE ACTION NOW!

As responsible citizens, we need to stop contaminating the water bodies, destroying nature to become protectors of nature, natural resources (air and water) and the life around these lakes. To start with you can choose to buy an idol made of clay in your local markets – plain clay idols, idols that contain seeds Ganesha. Better still, you can buy an idol that will have a positive in the future too. And that’s exactly what the Plant a Ganesha idol will allow you to do. Brought to you by Live the Lakes initiative of SAHE, this clay Ganesha comes with a small sapling.

Once you are done with your prayers, you can plant it in a gamla in your balcony or pit in your home, or in your vicinity and take care of the plant.

We urge you to view this video and spread the word: https://www.facebook.com/137609363487934/videos/148589075723296/ < PLEASE EMBED THE VIDEO>

Our city and our children will thank you.

The post Respect the Environment and Your Bhakthi appeared first on SAHE : Society for Advancement of Human Endeavour.

Once set at the altar, the puja would begin with friends and relatives in attendance. Puja complete, we would stuff ourselves silly with delicacies mom made and then spend the afternoon in food coma. Come evening, we would visit the few pandals in the neighbourhood. Visarjan (days earmarked for immersion) meant that we took the idol to be immersed in the sea and that was that.

This is very different from my experience now – I just go to the market, select a small, yet colourfully decorated idol and an umbrella made of plastic or shiny gold thread. While the eating and meeting family remains almost the same, almost all festivals have become bigger and brighter recently. This is most true for festivals like Ganesha chaturthi, durga puja, and diwali. People vie with each other for the bigger, brighter, and more colourful idols to probably to show they are more devout.

Sample this – in Hyderabad, 4,000 metric tons of garbage is produced every day. During Ganesh festival alone 3,000 more metric tonnes of garbage is added every single day. This amounts to about 7,200 metric tonnes of garbage which needs 3,000 labourers deployed on three shifts using 94,000 plastic bags to collect garbage. Just imagine the money spent on infrastructure, earth movers, and trips made by sanitation trucks every day!

With the widespread immersion of Ganesha idols, a good number of lakes in India are increasingly polluted. This issue is becoming more and more important to environment particularly with respect to environment, human health, and flora and fauna present in the river. It is ironic that after praying to Ganesha, we cause such terrible damage to the water bodies by immersing these toxic, painted idols and killing aquatic life!

Let’s take a quick look at the most damaging consequences of our favourite festival:

Non-biodegradable idols

The most damage comes from idols made of Plaster of Paris (PoP) that may take several months or years to fully dissolve. In addition, the chemical paints used to decorate the idols contain heavy metals like mercury, cadmium and lead (neurotoxin and nephrotoxin), which seep into the water as the idol dissolves. These metals are bio-accumulative, which means that they enter marine life, get passed up the food chain, and end up in our food.

In some cases, the idols are painted with bright synthetic colours or lead oxide mixed with oils which are toxic. The brighter the colour, the greater the toxicity. Red, blue, orange and green colours are known to have higher content of mercury, zinc oxide, chromium and lead. In fact, a single drop of mercury on a person’s skin can be fatal; a drop in a 20-acre lake can make the fish poisonous to the birds and animals, and people who eat them.

Decorations at the altar

Another potential threat is in the use of non-biodegradable decorations made of wood, stone, grass, jute, thermacol, plastic, flowers, germinated seeds, coconuts, leaves etc. The problem is multiplied when these decorations are immersed along with the idol. Such material may contain organic and inorganic pollutants including oil, grease, plastics, and suspended solids that impact the water quality as they decay.

Visarjan days

These days, visarjan means huge trucks and tempos to transport the idols for immersion. Typically, these processions are taken by members of the community playing loud music, and sometimes include bursting firecrackers. Almost all lakes on such days look like a war zone, with people milling all around, with hydraulic cranes used for lowering the Ganesha idols for immersion.  A delayed, but glaring issue is that these huge idols block the natural flow of water causing stagnation, further causing more harm to the environment.

So what is the solution to overcoming the above problems?

• Firstly, buy an eco-friendly clay or Plant a Ganesha Alternatively, you can use idols made of recycled waste paper, natural clay, natural fibres, brass, or stone.
• If you buy a Plant a Ganesha idol, do a symbolic immersion if possible.
• Limit the size and number of Ganesh idols in your community, focussing more on purity of the festival.
• Use natural biodegradable colours for Rangoli (turmeric, henna, and rice powder).
• Use paper flowers or natural flowers for decorations.
• Collect the biodegradable decorations and compost them. You can use these to grown your garden in the future.
• Ban plastic in the place of worship or even to carry offerings. You can use cloth bags instead.
• Avoid the use of thermocol and plastic in decorations.
• Minimise noise and air pollution.

The Plant a Ganesha idol is brought to you by Live the Lakes initiative of SAHE. Please watch this video to know about how you can make this wonderful Ganesha at home! Celebrate the festival with consciousness to the environment!

The post Say No to POP Ganesha idols this year! appeared first on SAHE : Society for Advancement of Human Endeavour.

Local communities neglected their maintenance, thus allowing them to sludge up, fill with garbage, or generally crumble into debris. During the period of British rule (1858–1947), many stepwells were destroyed after they had been deemed unhygienic breeding grounds for disease. Besides “modern” substitutes like village taps, plumbing, and water tanks also eliminated the physical need for stepwells, if not the social and spiritual aspects. These easy sources of water took precedence over the hard work one had to do to fetch water from these stepwells.

Present-day India’s water crisis, however, has renewed interest in stepwells, and the government has begun to preserve some of them. With rainfall patterns going awry and polluted surface water, groundwater is our answer to water woes. Their level is not affected by rains or drought for a few years making it the most reliable source of drinking water in arid and semi-arid regions. It will not be incorrect to say that stepwell is the Indian solution to an Indian problem. Our country has invested huge amounts in irrigation and dam projects however, stepwells were the localised solution to meet the water needs of villagers. If you look at the design and architectural layout, one can be in awe of the amount of hard work and science involved in building them.

I was reading the Stepwell revival stories of Bidar and was amused to know about the Karez Restoration project. Karez or ‘Surang Bavi’ are the channels that extend to several kilometres. These are tunnels that constitute a historical water harnessing technology, a network of underground channels that taps underground water sources and transport them to settlements.

The history of Karez is that the Bahmani Kings who established their capital at Bidar in 1347 had built these water harnessing structures to ensure constant water supply to their new city and fort.  It is believed that the technology was imported from Persia through traders and engineers, who came to India through the silk route to seek their fortune. One such engineer, Mehmud Ghawan, who initially came to Bidar to trade in horses, is believed to be the architect of these Karez Channels.

I was astonished to know that these huge tunnels were dug entirely by hand and hence rightly called “pieces of art”.

Karez system experts shared about how the engineers of those days figure out where the underground sources were located. Apparently, they discovered the fault lines in the rocks and traced the source just by identifying the kind of trees that grew on the ground.

Mr. Rajendra Singh described the ‘Karez’ as a living textbook for water-related studies. “We could emulate the design whenever large water harvesting projects are undertaken”, he said.

With the same belief, I sign off now. Watch this space for more on Bidar Karez System as the glory of it can’t just fit in one post…J

Reference:

1. https://www.britannica.com/technology/stepwell
2. https://hydtrails.wordpress.com/2016/07/31/the-underground-marvels-of-bidar/
3. https://blogvirasatehind.com/2017/03/17/karez-system-of-bidar-a-persian-oasis-in-deccan/

The post State of Stepwells in Telangana appeared first on SAHE : Society for Advancement of Human Endeavour.

There are many of these bowlis scattered all over Hyderabad. Enginebowli received its name because the water of this famous well was used to run steam engines. Rethibowli was a sandy well, Gangabowli was a well with steps, while Gachibowli was a limestone well. A lot of these wells no longer exist but the localities still carry the name of these wells.

There are various other famous bowlis present in Hyderabad like the Bum-a-Rukn-ud-Dowla near the zoo. The Neher-e-Hussaini, the queen of all the historic wells of our city, is situated opposite the National Police Academy. The Bibi-ka-Chashma and Rajanna Bowli (which has eight wells inside it) are historic wells near Falaknuma. The famous Golconda fort is home to Doodhbowli while the Government Unani Hospital also has a famous well on its premises.

The Kakatiyas and Nizams understood the importance of wells in a semi-arid place like Hyderabad. With rivers like Godavari and Krishna out of reach and the rocky terrain making waterways and canals difficult, wells were the only source of clean drinking water during that time.

The Kakatiya rulers put a lot of thought into water conservation and storage during their 400 year reign. They built many tanks and lakes downstream from small streams and rivulets to ensure that these tanks were always full. The surrounding spring-fed wells also served to keep these tanks full of water. The area around these wells were well maintained so that people could gather around them and a sense of community was maintained among the people.

The Nizams who ruled later were equally diligent about building and maintaining tanks and wells. It is said that the Nizam VII Mir Osman Ali Khan only drank the local spring water from these wells and carried it where ever he went. They understood the importance of wells as wells not only stored water but they also recharged the ground water below during the monsoon season.

Unfortunately, as Hyderabad continues to grow as a metropolis and land prices increase, many of these water bodies are being encroached upon to create land for office buildings and apartment complexes. At present, many wells all over Hyderabad that were used to supply drinking water during the Nizam’s time have become defunct because people use them to throw trash and other debris. When water collects in them, they breed mosquitoes and snakes. Experts are of the opinion that some of these wells can be used to make  rainwater harvesting pits to recharge the groundwater during the monsoons.

The biggest hurdle facing the revival and maintenance of these ancient wells is that they are not listed in The Heritage Conservation List, which only covers buildings and not water bodies. Even GHMC is clueless about how to preserve these historic water bodies.

An example can be made of the famous Maha Laqa Chanda Bai’s well inside the EFLU Hyderabad campus. It was built during the Asif Jahi period and is around 200 years old. It is a large stepped well and its geometrical design is characteristic of the Nizam period. The EFLU Heritage Well Conservation Committee from EFLU Hyderabad was formed to help preserve and maintain this well after the students send a petition to the president. The heritage well was also enlisted in the state heritage list by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Corporation (HMDC) and Municipal Corporation (MC).

Preservation of these ancient wells are important not only because they help in water conservation but because they are a part of our heritage and we owe it to our future generations. These places can be developed as tourist spots and the money collected from this could be used to maintain them as recharge pits while also preserving a slice of our history.

The post The Ancient Bowlis of Hyderabad appeared first on SAHE : Society for Advancement of Human Endeavour.

Water pumped from bores deeper than 400 feet has a high level of heavy metals like arsenic, iron, fluoride and other nitrates which are extremely poisonous, yet most people are unaware of this fact.

Hyderabad is particularly prone to fluoride poisoning. Some areas in Hyderabad district like Qutubullapur, Dulapally and Nizampet report higher than normal levels of fluoride, while in Ranga Reddy district, Balanagar, Shamshabad and Shamirpet have the highest levels of fluoride. The deeper the bore well, the higher the level of fluoride it contains. In areas that do not get municipal water and rely solely on bore water, this could be dangerous as even a 0.1 increase in fluoride levels is extremely harmful. High levels of fluoride have been known to cause a condition called fluorosis that causes brittle bones and teeth.

Says Anita, a resident of an apartment complex in Miyapur, “We receive two big plastic cans of drinking water every day because our complex still does not receive municipal water. I don’t know where this water comes from but we are forced to drink this.”

It is no secret that most of the drinking water supplied in cans is just filtered bore water. If the source of the water and the method of filtration is unknown, drinking such canned water is questionable. As a matter of fact, even RO purified water is not safe for drinking if the machine is not being serviced and filters are not being replaced regularly.

Another big problem with the water from deep bores is that sometimes this water is very old. Water from aquifers lying deep in the rocks can sometimes be as old as 1500 to 6000 years old. Areas like AS Rao Nagar, Toli Chowki, Banjara Hills, Dollar Hills, Uppal and Habsiguda have produced water as old as 1500 to 2000 years in deep bore wells. It is unclear about the long-term effects of depleting the water from such deep aquifers. When these water sources dry up they do not get recharged because rainwater cannot percolate through solid rock. These deep bores will inevitably run dry in the long term. Ironically, it is the shallow bores that get revitalized during the monsoons and therefore provide safe and fresh drinking water for many years.

It is important for the general population to become aware of the dangers of deep bore water and exercise common sense. Some points to be taken into consideration:

1) Bore wells should not be dug beyond a depth of 300 feet

2) Take the help of an experienced geologist before digging a bore well – These experts are able to locate water with the help of instruments. Many times, if rock is discovered at a depth of about 50-80 feet into the ground, it is uncertain if such a bore will yield water for another 400-500 feet and is probably not worth it in terms of cost and quality of water.

3) A second bore well should not be drilled very near to a dried up bore well – It can collapse due to gravitational pull and earth vibrations. A distance of at least 15 feet from the first well should be maintained.

4) A rainwater harvesting pit can be constructed near a defunct bore well to help recharge it

A pit 3-4 feet in depth and 3 feet by 3 feet in length and breadth should be dug. A layer of sand is poured followed by a layer of small size concrete. This process is repeated till the pit is completely full. During the rainy reason, the rain water gets filtered in the pit before entering the bore well. Many wells with scanty water supply can be improved by this technique.

5) If possible, an open, dug well should be maintained instead of a bore well – This traditional version of a well not only stores water but also recharges the ground water during the rains.

6) Canned water should be tested before consumption – There are many labs around the city that conduct these tests for as low as Rs 790 for raw water testing and Rs 990 for drinking water testing. Online labs like Purityportal will even come to your home to collect the water for testing.

The post The Dangers of Deep Bores appeared first on SAHE : Society for Advancement of Human Endeavour.

While the city progresses forward in technology and development, we unfortunately are progressing backwards in creating sustainable resources for the future us and it is clearly evident in the increasing scarcity of water availability in many areas in the city at present. Statistics show that more than 10000 new bore-wells are drilled every year in the city in addition to the already existing over 25 lakh borewells; out of which 50 percent are either defunct or dried up. Alarmingly, we are also staring at the problem of bore-wells stopping to yield water completely in some years due to lack of proper storage of rainwater to be stored or be absorbed into the soil. The predominant topography of the city is sloping rocky terrain of grey and pink granites dotted with small hills of the Deccan Plateau region. As of 2016, the groundwater level was at 15.6 MBGL (meters below ground level), which is of very huge concern to be addressed.

It is the need of the hour to restore and recharge the dried-up bore-wells through rainwater without further drilling, digging, breaking of walls, or construction. The community event, TEDxHyderabad Salon in 2016 paved way for the idea in conversation with ‘Smaran’, an NGO working for water and soil conservation. Simply put, the process involves channelizing rainwater hitting the rooftops through a four-inch pipe into the dwelling’s sump through a filter or directly into the bore. The data from Central Groundwater Board reports that the average level of the groundwater table in Greater Hyderabad was anywhere between 10 meters and 20 metres; while in areas close to the Musi river it was around five metres, in places like Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills it was between 30 and 40 metres. So, all it requires is one rainy season to recharge the bores.

With statistics and plan in hand, the non-profit, Society for Advancement of Human Endeavour (SAHE), a community partner of the TEDxHyderabad events together with the NGO Smaran and the Hyderabad Software Exporters Association (HYSEA) designed the initiative ‘Save 10k Bores‘ with a focused aim to charge up the bore-wells in the city.

The detailed plans and resources were made available on SAHE’s website, with cost effective models for each of small homes, apartments, and gated communities. Small homes need only one plumber, four hours and Rs. 15000 to restore the defunct or dried up bore-wells as reported on the website to replenish and recharge their bores every rainy season.

Caption: The model for Save 10k Bores Initiative

With an active social media campaign and several enthusiastic community volunteers involvement, the initiative was able to restore around 150 of bore-wells in the city and is focused to achieve better results in this coming year. Due to rains and better groundwater harvesting methods through this initiative the level currently stands at 8.60 MBGL. Though, a good statistic, there is still need for improvement due to consistent rise in demand for water; a problem which Save 10k Bores initiative is trying to solve.

Caption: The Save 10k Bores initiative in progress

The Salon was again organised in May 2017, with a focused goal to take this initiative forward for not just borewells but also to revive other water bodies in and across the city.

On that note, this talk by David Sedlak, which was screened at the event, shares four practical solutions to tackle the ongoing urban water crisis by shifting our water supply towards new, local sources of water and create a system that is capable of withstanding any of the challenges climate change may throw at us in the coming years.

https://www.ted.com/talks/david_sedlak_4_ways_we_can_avoid_a_catastrophic_drought

In the event thought leader from various disciplines were invited to form a call-of-action to further the initiative with help of the attendees and the community.

The discussion lead to following outcomes and ideas for further water conservation:

1. The need to conserve step wells in the city and to create it to be a social and cultural space by active community engagement through encouraging adventure campus for architecture students or trail walks by Hyderabad Trails and Hyderabad Adventure Club. Another NGO, Kakatiya trails is an active part of heritage preservation of the culture of the city of Warangal.
2. To actively use technology to educate the community about water conservation.
3. To restore and conserve the existing lakes which have unusable water due to pollution and garbage as they are our largest catchment for rainwater and groundwater recharge.

Caption: A glimpse at Civic Responsibility Salon 2017

Just a few weeks after the event, several NGOs and volunteer groups have come together to to align and amplify efforts towards lake conservation and greening. These groups will work with GHMC and Irrigation Department to identify 62 lakes in Serilingampally area as the initial target to restore and conserve.

With the first month of starting the above stated initiative, nicknames “Live the Lakes’, the community took bold steps to ensure their work has tremendous progress. Starting with three lakes: Kudikunta (beyond Chirec School, Kondapur), Gopi Cheruvu (beyond Doyens, Lingampally) and Regula Kunta (at Deeptisri Nagar, Miyapur), the volunteers identified the communities and associations in each of these areas and got them fully engaged. GHMC DC & JC were taken to the lake to discuss with the communities on treatment of sewage and securing the lake through fencing and binding strengthening efforts. In the days that followed, the community of Kudikunta lake successfully took up a lake cleanup drive and GHMC completed the fencing around the lake. The Doyens association and nearby slum community are jointly working on the water treatment and cleaning of Gopi Cheruvu. Media coverage to this event ensured that many other communities in the city take up work in their areas of the city. Now, companies like Greenko had come forward to support their initiave on green drive and tree translocation efforts

With the community engagement through small yet impactful events like these which play a key role in creating a sustainable future for the city, it is indeed a fortunate time for Hyderabad to be hopeful again.

The post How Community Events Drive Action – A Focus on Water Conservation appeared first on SAHE : Society for Advancement of Human Endeavour.

Stepwells are wells or ponds used to store water and it is reached by descending a set of steps, hence the name Step wells. Stepwells are examples of many types of storage and irrigation tanks that were developed in India, primarily to manage seasonal instabilities in water availability. A basic difference between stepwells, and tanks and wells, is – Stepwells make it easier for people to reach the ground water and to maintain and manage the well.

The earliest stepwells date to around 550 A.D., but the most famous of them were built in primitive times. It is estimated that more than 3,000 stepwells were built in the two northern states. Although many have fallen into poor condition and have been filled in with trash in the modern era, hundreds of wells still exist.

In Telangana alone, there are more than 75 stepwells per a survey by HDF (Hyderabad Design Forum)

These wells are known by many names. Hindus call them as baori, baoli, baudi, bawdi, or bavadi. Gujaratis know them as vav.

Two common types of wells are: 1. Step pond with a large open top and 2. Graduated sides meeting at a relatively shallow depth. Stepwells usually consist of two parts: a vertical shaft (protected from direct sunlight by a full or partial roof) from which water is drawn and the surrounding inclined subterranean passageways, chambers and steps which provide access to the well. The galleries and chambers surrounding these wells were often carved abundantly with intricate detail and became cool, quiet retreats during the hot summers. Temples and resting areas with beautiful carvings are built into many of the wells.

Most surviving stepwells originally served relaxation purpose along with providing water. This was because the base of the well provided respite from high temperature during the day, and relief was amplified if the well was covered.

Stepwells also served as a place for social gettogethers and holy rituals. Usually, women were associated with these wells because they were responsible to get water. And, majorly they used to pray and offer gifts to the goddess of the well for her blessings. This led to the building of some significant decorative and architectural structures, often associated with dwellings. It also ensured their survival as monuments.

The stepwell ensured availability of water during periods of drought. The stepwells had social, cultural and religious significance. These stepwells were proven to be well-built sturdy structures, after withstanding earthquakes.

Stepwells are certainly one of India’s most unusual, but little-known, contributions to architecture. They influenced many other structures in Indian architecture, especially many that incorporate water into their design.

References:

1. http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2013/09/03/chand_baori_is_an_exquisitely_carved_ancient_stone_water_stepwell_in_india.html
2. http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ancient-stepwells-india
3. http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/The-forgotten-step-wells-of-Telangana/article17056598.ece

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