Accepted Papers - 3.pdf - UNESCO

throughout the country. Water is assumed as god’s
gift. This assumption helps to maintain the purity
of water, its efficient use and also helps in
maintenance of the water structure. The traditions
are still vogue. Special Melas (Festivals) are
organized in honor of them. Indians have given
importance not only for the collection of rainwater
but equally importance to the purity of the water.
India is mining Ground water, which may be as
much as 7000 years old. They had respect of water
and they loved water and handled it with great
sensitivity and wisdom. Almost all-small rivers,
springs, and other water bodies including tanks, are
attributed some degree of holiness and associated
with the local pantheon of Hindu god and goddesses.
The digging of tank was considered to be one of
the seven great meritorious acts a person has to
perform during a lifetime.
Traditional method of rain water harvesting
The base of Indian civilization has ever since
remained agriculture; however the technique of
irrigation differs according to climatic diversion.
Therefore it has very long tradition in the
development of water bodies like, surface and
subsurface (ranging from small to large), river works
such as diversion weirs, diversion canals, flood
canals, diversion of river courses, inter basin transfer
of water, constructing of underground tunnels
(through soft or hard strata), underground channels
(lined or unlined), digging open well and step well,
laying pipeline on ground or under ground, tapping
sub soil water through tunnels and infiltration
galleries, transforming water over long distance
through open or closed conveyance system for rain
water harvesting etc. Few examples of the systems
are given below.
Lakes and reservoirs
India has been rightly known to be the country
of lakes. At every village there was at least one lake.
The man made tanks or lakes were devised for
different objectives such as irrigation, fishery,
religion, recharging ground water, drinking water,
tanks for cattle’s etc. These hydraulic bodies were
developed in almost all part of India with active
support and encouragement from beneficiaries.
There was a common belief that this type of pious
deed could secure a place in heaven. Many of such
448
works are still functioning. The best examples are,
reservoirs at Bhopal, Jodhapur, Bikaner, Chittod,
Rajkot, Devas Jaipur-Ajamer, Jaisalmer,
Budhelkhand, Anhillpattn etc. were constructed in
this distributed historical span.
Step well
The ancestors were taken care of recharging
of these well. Techniques of rainwater harvesting
are used here to improve the ground water level. At
many sites water tank were constructed to recharge
the ground water. The recharge ground water is then
enters slowly in to the step well. That is the reason
of the centuries old steep wells are still functioning.
The steps wells are found all over India. It is an
extraordinary form of the underground water
conservation system. Few examples of the best step
wells are, Adalaj near Ahmedabad in Gujarat, Rani’s
Barav at Patan in Gujarat, Ahilyabai’s Barav at
Chandavad near Nasik, in Maharashtra etc.
Water harvesting from the hill slope
Devagiri- Daultabad is situated in a hilly
terrain known for water scarcity where no river
flows, assuring perennial source of water. Being a
capatial and metropolitan nature of the centre, it
required ample water for its daily needs. The huge
magnitude of the population with sizable number
of animals including elephant, camels, and
residential quarters would have necessitated an
ample supply of water. They introduced number of
rainwater harvesting schemes. The wisdom they
used since long remain to be the unique in nature.
The hill on the left side of the highway going
towards Ellora, situated well above the level of the
palace complex in the fort. The average annual
rainfall in this region is around 600 mm. The
rainwater running down the slope of the hill is
guided to a collecting chamber by a guide wall cum
bund. The thickness of the bund is 450 mm, height
is 750 mm. and length is 2000 meter. Two pipelines,
one of them stoneware pipe line 400 mm in diameter
and other earthenware pipeline 200 mm diameter,
were provided. These two pipelines were taken
through the valley at about 35 m below the inlet
level and let in to the rock mot running around the
foot of the hill, over which the fort stands. The out
let is about 11 meter below the inlet level. The two
pipe lines thus acted as syphons and collecting the