Rainwater Harvesting Using Defunct Dug Well – The Aged Well of Parsara

    Rainwater Harvesting Using Defunct Dug Well – The Aged Well of Parsara

    Sep 20, 2024 | 5 R's of Water Conservation, Rain Water Harvesting | 4 comments

    The Story of the Aged Well of Parsara

    Parsara Defunct Dug Well

     

    Perhaps over one and a half decades have passed, even the villagers don’t remember correctly – this mammoth but defunct dug well in Parsara, one of the prominent villages of Hathras district in Uttar Pradesh is nothing short of a marvel. With a two-meter diameter and 15-meter depth, it has quenched the thirst of more than 300 households over decades. However, with time due to overdraft of water and introduction of mechanized underground lifting of water, this well slowly became dry and lost its relevance to the villagers and has been leading a cursed life. Nonetheless, the structure of the well is quite solid and intact indicating the older generation of the village must have invested quite a bit of their time and money on the dug well – there must have been a sense of dedication and passion because they knew the value of WATER.

    Parsara Defunct Dug WellThen a day came when FORCE got to know about it. It must be shared here that FORCE for the past 20 years has engaged itself in the domain of water conservation across the economic sectors with special focus on water scares regions. Hathras – is one such region where we are working on a Watershed Health Initiative in 20 villages supported by PepsiCo. Under this project we are working with farmers on climate smart water efficient agriculture. We are also working on the supply side by making several RWH structures and restoring defunct water assets which can act as groundwater recharge locations. A model Zero water flow out village is also being developed.

    Coming back to the story of the Parsara well. As soon as FORCE came to know about this beautiful but dry well it immediately decided to restore it for the good of the people. However, some information must be shared with the readers before the story moves ahead.

    Hathras is mostly dependent on groundwater for several of its activities, especially the Hathras block having 658 villages and a population of 15 lakh according to 2011 census. Though it is part of the Indo Gangetic plain, in the past 2 decades, the groundwater level is receding at the rate of 3-4 feet annually. The level that was at 7-10 feet about half a century back is now at 10-150 feet. In some locations it is even 180 feet. This indicates that the bore wells have to be dug deeper and every couple of years fresh investments need to be made for that. Simply put this can’t go on for ever.

    Parsara Defunct Dug WellThe Parsara well is 60 years old or perhaps more, having a capacity to recharge more than 1200 KL groundwater if connected to the rooftops of the nearby households to catch the rains that falls on them. The average annual rainfall in the area is 656 mm. After having worked out the design and plans, we approached the village community for their views on it. We also asked them to give us the permission to connect the well to the roofs of the nearby households. During our interactions with the community in the area we realised that although the wells are dry, the community holds respect for them and uses the defunct dug wells for several religious rituals.

    Fortunately, the villagers and the village Sarpanch understood our point of view and gave us the go head. Survey was carried out, technical calculations, planning and final design was made, and the work orders were given to a qualified contractor.

    Parsara Defunct Dug WellThe well is now connected with the roof of 10 households and one anganwadi school nearby. The structure got readied in early August of 2024. Fortunately, the showers have been better than usual this year and the community is very happy.

    The aged members of the village expect that in a couple of years this well will not only act as groundwater recharge point, but villagers may also be able to draw water from it.

    The Aged well of Parsara is growing young again.

    Parsara Defunct Dug Well

    Credits:
    We are thankful to PEPSICO for the project support and time to time guidance and encouragement. The credit also goes to the village Sarpanch Mr. Manoj Sisodia and villagers who allowed us to carry out the work.

    Definitive Guide to Reduce Water Wastage

    Definitive Guide to Reduce Water Wastage

    Sep 8, 2019 | 5 R's of Water Conservation, Water Management, Water Wisdom | 0 comments

    Reduce Wastage of Water – the 1st R of Water Conservation

    Every day we read about the shortage of water in India and many other countries. Niti Aayog in one of its reports has suggested that as many as 21 cities will run out of ground water as early as 2020.  Such a scenario always brings up a question – is there really a shortage of water? And the simple answer is NO. There is no shortage of water. Nature gives us more water than our needs. Yes, nature is unable to give us more eater than our greed.

    Quantity of freshwater is fixed – It reaches us after going through 2 cycles – Nature’s Water cycle and Manmade Water Cycle. One of the simplest ways to overcome the perceived shortage of water is to simply prevent wastage of water. It can save a lot of misery, effort and money. And numbers are huge.

    How to Reduce Wastage of Water

    To save water, we follow 5 R’s of Water Conservation. The 1st R of Water Conservation is – Reduce Wastage of Water.

    This article is about how to reduce wastage of water. It is not yet a definitive guide on reduction of wastage of water. But it aims to be with the help of knowledgeable readers such as yourself. We have listed below ways in which we can achieve our objective of water conservation by reducing water wastage. I am sure that we have missed out a few wonderful ideas. It is my request that you share your ideas about how to reduce wastage of water in the comments section below or use the contact us page to share the ideas. We ill incorporate them in the article with due credit to you.

    1. Save one bucket of water each day by reducing the consumption. In a city like Delhi which has a population of 18.5 million, if every person saves 1 bucket a day (15 liters of water), then 27.75 crore liters / day or 10128.75 crore liters / year are saved. This is equal to 42 days requirement of all families in Delhi. (Assumption each family has 5 members who require 130 liters of water every day). This is true for all cities irrespective of the population of the city. If each person saves one bucket of water every day, the total water saved will help sustain all families in the city for 42 days. The question that can be asked now is how you save at least one bucket water every day. Here are some ways to do it:

        1. Use aerators in all taps.
        2. Use dual flush system in the toilets
        3. Use a water mug while brushing your teeth instead of using running tap water in the sink.
        4. Similarly use a water mug or tumbler while shaving and not let the tap water flow as you shave.
        5. It is advisable to turn of the tap while scrubbing / soaping hands. Turn on the tap only to wet the hand and later to rinse the soap off.
        6. Use bucket or a can to water plants instead of a hose pipe.
        7. Mop the floors to clean them instead of using a hose pipe with running water.
        8. Use water in bucket to clean your vehicles instead of hose pipe with running water.
        9. Take bath with water filled in a bucket instead of using a shower. However, if you do not spend too long in the shower (under 5 minutes) then shower bath may be used.
        10. Use a bucket or large container to rinse the utensils instead of using the running tap water.
        11. Use water efficient washing machines that consume lesser water per wash
        12. Use float valves and water level indicators in storage tanks so that there is no water overflow.
        13. Serve half glass of water to your guests. If they need more water, the’ll ask for it.

    2. Reduce water wastage by ensuring that there are no leaking taps. If a tap leaks @ 1 drop / second, we lose 2000 litres/month. If there are two such taps in each house, Delhi loses 49.33 Cr litres / day or 18007 Cr litres / year which is equal to 74 days water requirement of all families of Delhi.

    3. RO filters are a big source of water wastage. In areas where the water is supplied by the municipal corporations, a RO is not really required since the TDS level of the water is quite low. In such cases other form of water purifiers such as UV or gravity filters may be quite enough. However, if you must use RO water purifiers, then the reject water from the RO should be used again. There are many ways in which the RO reject water can be used to reduce the water wastage after the TDS level of the reject water is tested (Water with TDS below 2000 can be used for many purposes)

        1. Cleaning the floor
        2. Watering the plants
        3. Washing vehicles
        4. Washing the utensils
        5. Flushing

    As I have mentioned earlier, there must be many other ways in which water wastage can be reduced. Please share your ideas in the comments section below or write to us through the contact us page.

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