On my way back from the Defence Colony park, I decided to drop by at Mr Krishnan's house to have another look at his well. Of the nine well owners I had spoken to in Indira Nagar, Mr Krishnan was the only one who still uses his well on a regular basis, relying on it to provide at least a third of the water he needs. At a time when borewells, the municipal corporation and private tankers control the water supply, it is both inspiring to find someone willing to trust his own instincts and maintain an open well rather than go with the crowd. Talking to him cleared up whatever doubts I had about the viability of returning to open wells.
For Mr Krishnan, like many others, the main source of water is the city corporation. The perk, of course, is that for the last 44 years his well has never failed to provide him with backup in case the corporation's supply should fall short. No matter the season, it has always had about 3 ft of water. This is remarkable: firstly, because no one else in the area is known to have that much water in their well, and secondly, because the dimensions of Mr Krishnan's well are less than average (diameter of 2.5 ft, depth of 14 ft). And best of all, he told me, the water from his well can safely be used for all purposes, including drinking.
Of course it must not be denied that Mr Krishnan is lucky in the sense that his well is well situated in the shallow aquifer. Neither must it be denied, however, that there is a clear linkage between the success of his well and his refusal to get himself a borewell. While most of the residents of the city made the shift from traditional open well to borewell within a few years of the new technology arriving, he did not follow suit, simply because he did not see the need to do so. His well gave him enough for his needs, and he knew that getting a borewell would only encourage him to extract more than necessary - hence depriving other people of their needs.
Moreover, being an older resident of the area, he is naturally more invested in his property and the land as a whole. This in turn means that he is careful of how much water he uses, as he does not wish to unnecessarily drain the already low water table. In all likelihood, if he used his water with less caution, he would not have been able to count on his open well even as a backup.
As things are, the well has never had major problems. The last time Mr Krishnan had to get it cleaned was over a year back. In any case, although he was confident that its water was potable, he had asked Alana and I if we wanted to conduct some tests for quality on it. And so we had, and then we came up with some results, indicating that it was indeed moderately safe for usage.
What I found out on this visit, unfortunately, was that there was a bad E coli infestation in the well. This I discovered when I looked at the test bottle we had left with him earlier. The once clear water had turned completely black, and the entire room was hit by the stench of sewage when I tried opening the bottle. Mr Krishnan assured me that the water was being filtered properly before it went to his taps, and that he would soon get some alum to clean his well.
He then explained to me that the reason for the infestation was not that hard to pinpoint. Some time back, a sewage pipe had broken underground and started emptying into a public ditch. Naturally all the wells nearby had been contaminated. Why hadn't the municipality sent anyone to fix this, I asked. Mr Krishnan didn't reply, but he didn't need to.
In an era when the open well is being rudely relegated to the pages of history, cases such as Mr Krishnan's are rare. Despite the minor hurdles that come as a result of using his well, he continues to prioritise sustainable water management over luxury and convenience. And best of all, he has found a balance between using corporation water and his own water. If people both within and outside government were able to understand the value of the open well the way he does, it would certainly take Bengaluru much closer to resolving its water crisis.
For Mr Krishnan, like many others, the main source of water is the city corporation. The perk, of course, is that for the last 44 years his well has never failed to provide him with backup in case the corporation's supply should fall short. No matter the season, it has always had about 3 ft of water. This is remarkable: firstly, because no one else in the area is known to have that much water in their well, and secondly, because the dimensions of Mr Krishnan's well are less than average (diameter of 2.5 ft, depth of 14 ft). And best of all, he told me, the water from his well can safely be used for all purposes, including drinking.
Of course it must not be denied that Mr Krishnan is lucky in the sense that his well is well situated in the shallow aquifer. Neither must it be denied, however, that there is a clear linkage between the success of his well and his refusal to get himself a borewell. While most of the residents of the city made the shift from traditional open well to borewell within a few years of the new technology arriving, he did not follow suit, simply because he did not see the need to do so. His well gave him enough for his needs, and he knew that getting a borewell would only encourage him to extract more than necessary - hence depriving other people of their needs.
Moreover, being an older resident of the area, he is naturally more invested in his property and the land as a whole. This in turn means that he is careful of how much water he uses, as he does not wish to unnecessarily drain the already low water table. In all likelihood, if he used his water with less caution, he would not have been able to count on his open well even as a backup.
As things are, the well has never had major problems. The last time Mr Krishnan had to get it cleaned was over a year back. In any case, although he was confident that its water was potable, he had asked Alana and I if we wanted to conduct some tests for quality on it. And so we had, and then we came up with some results, indicating that it was indeed moderately safe for usage.
What I found out on this visit, unfortunately, was that there was a bad E coli infestation in the well. This I discovered when I looked at the test bottle we had left with him earlier. The once clear water had turned completely black, and the entire room was hit by the stench of sewage when I tried opening the bottle. Mr Krishnan assured me that the water was being filtered properly before it went to his taps, and that he would soon get some alum to clean his well.
He then explained to me that the reason for the infestation was not that hard to pinpoint. Some time back, a sewage pipe had broken underground and started emptying into a public ditch. Naturally all the wells nearby had been contaminated. Why hadn't the municipality sent anyone to fix this, I asked. Mr Krishnan didn't reply, but he didn't need to.
In an era when the open well is being rudely relegated to the pages of history, cases such as Mr Krishnan's are rare. Despite the minor hurdles that come as a result of using his well, he continues to prioritise sustainable water management over luxury and convenience. And best of all, he has found a balance between using corporation water and his own water. If people both within and outside government were able to understand the value of the open well the way he does, it would certainly take Bengaluru much closer to resolving its water crisis.
Nice work arun.happy to see that u r spending ur holidays worth..
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