Letter to BS: Use water prudently, utilise every drop

Inhabitants of Western Rajasthan were well trained in water management and they knew that this was their lifeline

This is with reference to the article “This education can not be watered down” (April 23). Western Rajasthan is a drought-prone area and locals use simple techniques to mitigate the effects of such calamities. These include bawari and jalara, local names given to stepwells that supply water in the area. At present there are 88 such structures. Then there are nadis (village pond) and tankas, which is an underground cistern constructed with lime plaster and thatched with bushes. In an earlier era, roof water harvesting also played a significant role in supplying drinking water. Another way to do this is by building khadins, a groundwater recharging system, popular in some parts of western Rajasthan. The perched subsurface is penetrated through bore wells. These water systems were used to meet drinking water needs and also for irrigation. Inhabitants were well trained in water management and they knew that this was their lifeline. The locals have developed a culture of utilising every drop of water. Modern societies should follow such models considering the acute scarcity of water.

Sushil Bakliwal 

Jaipur