Save precious water - Tankas in Gujarat

Hi all,

I am posting this article to show how our forefathers were more humane than we are in terms of understanding nature. The article is about old tankas in Ahmedabad and other parts Gujarat. I am sure there will be same or differetnt ways, in other parts of the country, to save water. Though 71% of earth is covered with water, most of it is in sea which cannot be used directly. This way water is very very precious.

Our forefathers had built 'tanka' to harvest rain water around 150 to 200 years back, which can hold as much as 80,000 liters of water. That is not all, the tankas are so perfect that the water remains clean for years. I have seen one of the tankas in my friend's home. They were cleaning it so I went inside and I felt like standing in a big room. There are number of other old but efficient ways to conserve water and other natural resources, which we have put aside in the name of modern development. So we need to revive those ways to save our environment.

The blistering summer does not bother Ashutosh Bhatt. As the state shudders at the thought of a dry summer, this resident of Khadia in Ahmedabad can fall back on history to tide over the crisis - the over half-acentury-old 'tanka'in his home in old Ahmedabad that can store water for his entire family.

Bhatt is one of the residents of nearly 1,500 homes in the area where summer brings no worries, with a constant supply of sweet water from these underground tanks built by their ancestors to fight perennial water crisis.

If Bhatt is content, so is Kavita Dhamecha, a housewife in Porbandar. She is getting the 'tanka'in the backyard of her house cleaned. And, far away from this Saurashtra town, it is the 150-year-old 'tanka'that keeps the Jambusarwala family going in Bharuch.

"I have a 26-ft-deep tank which has a capacity of 80,000 litres. The tank water is sweet and prevents any digestive and skin disorders. Underground tanks are also the best way of conserving water. The civic body should help people with cleaning of tanks to promote this concept," says Bhatt, co-ordinator of Khadia Itihas Samiti. Of the 10,000 houses in the area that have 'tankas', about 1,500 are still used.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's heritage cell in association with the samiti had undertaken a pilot project a couple of years ago to clean and revive some 10 tanks in Khadia. It also undertook research and documentation of various aspects related to the 'tanka'technology. "The exercise was to create a model that could be adopted by civic bodies," says heritage cell co-ordinator Debashish Naik.

This report is being used by the Porbandar Nagarpalika to understand how underground water tanks can be cleaned. And, fire brigade staff is working overnight to clean nearly 2,500 underground water tanks in the coastal town.

"Cleaning 'Tankas'is a costly affair but, with the municipality stepping in, more 'tankas'in this town can now be made functional," says Yogesh Pathak, a doctor in Porbandar, who has been using a 'tanka'since 1950. "Corporate houses should also help in restoring tankas. This way, the efforts by civic bodies can be supplemented," says Rohinton Jambusarwala, a resident of Bharuch.

"Those using 'tankas'should be given tax breaks like in Japan, Germany and some places in the US for helping in water conservation," says Ushir Shah, a resident of Satellite area in Ahmedabad, who has built an underground tank inspired by the 'tanka.'

Regards,

Amish@IMDR