Sonnappanahalli: ‘A village of wells’

With the pet Dog hovering around Pommani, a resident of Sonnappanahalli Janta Quarters,  we listen to her keenly as she responds to our questions and describes her neutral water narratives. Sharing her water tales she mentions how the water from the nearby well is utilized for different purposes that fulfill the needs of the villagers. As she completes her response we immediately put up more questions to not miss out anything since these intimate interactions give insights about the situation at the ground level. While surveying the well and listening to Pommani some of the interns patted the dog affectionately as cool breeze wafts over the place that caresses us. Observing her closely while she was answering our interrogative questions, when asked whether they are satisfied with the water supply facilities she responds without any woes that we are satisfied and have no complaints. But unfortunately not all stories have a happy ending as we saw how the water stress in some of the pockets of the village had forced people some 25 years back to dig deeper to pump out more water from the water supply tanker well due to increased demand  and slow recharge rate of the groundwater. 

Sonnappanahalli, a village of wells located in Doddaballapur block of North Bangalore, spread across 128.04 hectares is governed by the panchayat. We started our visit at 9:30 and reached by 10:00 at Sonnappanahalli lower Primary school. This school is a good example of integrating sustainable models of wells and rainwater harvesting systems. As we roam around and observe, small kids giggle and greet us with ‘Hello Ma’am’. The school has a huge well in the backyard along with a sump tank and rainwater harvesting system inside the school. When we think of government schools we have a preconceived notion of poor facilities and education but here at our first impression we observed classrooms donned with wooden desks and decorated with all visuals to make children learn through observation. Sonnappanahalli has a number of wells located at around  every 80m, 150 m and some are located at a distance of 1km. While walking through the lanes we come across different wells and every well has its own story with unique design and periphery that defines Sonnappanahalli’s distinctive identity. These old wells dug some 50 or 60 years back are a cultural heritage that must be maintained not only to reduce the dependency on borewells but to revive the traditional practice of well digging and empower well digger communities that have been engaged in this profession for years. A walk through the village reveals a picturesque view with the sky punched with clouds, tracts of agricultural lands donned with banana plantations and other crops.

A common motif that was observed across all the locations where the wells are dug is that the water is not utilized for drinking purposes as the TDS (other factors were not taken i​nto consideration) is very high (>500) and the water is not suitable for drinking purposes. Some wells are abandoned and the water inside the wells is not utilized at all. Apart from improving the water quality of wells there is a great potential in channeling the water in Bettahalasur quarry for human consumption. Sonnappanahalli school is a good example of integrating sustainable models. Schools can be utilized for pilot study in order to ascertain the feasibility of water conservation and groundwater recharging systems. The wells that are abandoned can be revived and maintained so that water can be utilized by the people. We must collectively revive the legacy of Sonnappanahalli Village for which we have to ensure Community participation and democratization of the decision making process so that people are conscious of the significance of these wells. 

For the detailed description of the project the link to the report and the PPT is attached below:

Report: Sonnappanhalli's Larger Story Report

PPT:  sonnappanhalli Larger story