BENGALURU: With residents of the city trying everything— from digging borewells to water rationing— to tide over the present water crisis, traditional well-diggers are having a busy summer.
People have dumped the use of modern technology and shifted to traditional methods to find water and improve the groundwater table. Traditional well-diggers are in demand for not just digging wells and desilting them but even for setting up rainwater harvesting (RWH) units and recharge pits. So much so that a section of residents who are drilling borewells, including Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) engineers, are seeking the help of well-diggers to know the availability of water before sinking borewells.
“I started digging wells when I was 12. I would accompany my parents to the work site. There has never been a time when we failed to find water,” says Shankar, a well-digger. Shankar says that they first check the type of soil and the presence of nearby water bodies before digging wells. “As we start digging, the soil’s dampness and its temperature indicate to us how deep we have to go to find water. We tell people to pay us only when we show them actual water. We have never failed,” he adds.
The demand for well-diggers has increased over the last two years. Three years ago, they were not in much demand, and there was a time when many even thought about changing their profession. “I used to go door-to-door, in and around Bengaluru, asking people if they wanted to dig a well, get it cleaned, or maintain it. Although maintenance should be done once a year, back then the monsoon was good and people had no water problems. But since last year, our old customers have started contacting us to carry out maintenance work,” says another well-digger, Kumar.
Ramakrishna KR, another well-digger, says that for the last two years, he has received close to 500 orders to dig new wells, clean, and recharge them.
The demand has increased not just in the 110 villages added to Bengaluru city limits recently but also in core areas such as Chickpete, Sadashivanagar, Malleswaram, Domlur, Rajajinagar, and Ulsoor. “The depth of water depends on the soil condition, area, and concretisation. For example, if the area is rocky, then the depth to find water would be more… else water will be available within 30 feet,” he adds.
The demand for well-diggers is not just from individual homes but also from apartment complexes, corporations, and panchayats to maintain parks and educational institutions. They have also dug wells in Cubbon Park and Lalbagh. Ramakrishna says that all wells are dug manually. The work is completed within 2–3 days, depending on the width and depth. “I learnt well-digging from my parents. My children are still studying. But if they are keen on taking up well-digging as a profession, I will surely teach them. During summers, there is a demand for digging fresh wells and taking up maintenance works, while in monsoon and winter, there is a need to recharge them,” adds Ramakrishna.
Lakes being filled with treated water
BWSSB Chairman Ramprasath Manohar has directed officials to speed up the process of filling lakes with treated water. Manohar on Tuesday inspected Vrishabhavati Valley Waste Water Treatment Plant, Nayandahalli Lake and Kengeri STP. He also inspected the water treatment plant for Kengeri Lake. He said that the process of filling lakes with treated water has started, and 14 lakes are already being filled. Aim is to fill more lakes in the coming days, said Manohar.
Flats, hotels to fix tap aerators by March-end
With growing concern over water supply in the city, BWSSB has directed apartments, industries and luxury hotels to fix aerators in taps to avoid water wastage. BWSSB Chairman gave directions after a meeting with the Plumbers’ Association. He said, “A large amount of water is wasted from faucets that don’t have aerators. About 60-85% of water can be saved by installing aerators.” The chairman set a deadline of March 31 to install tap aerators for hotels, industries, apartment complexes and restaurants.
