Water scarcity is a major problem which is being faced by the whole world now. Hence water preservation is of utmost importance.

1. Some of the methods and research stud-
ies of ancient time practise of water con-
servation are given below;
The Indus Valley Civilization
The Indus Valley Civilization, that flourished
along the banks of the river Indus and other
parts of western and northern India about
5,000 years ago, had one of the most
sophisticated urban water supply and sew-
age systems in the world. The fact that the
people were well acquainted with hygiene
can be seen from the covered drains run-
ning beneath the streets of the ruins at both
Mohenjodaro and Harappa.
Dholavira
Another very good example is the well-
ater con-
W
servation
includes
all the poli-
c i e s ,
strategies
and activ-
i t i e s t o
sustainab
l y m a n-
age the natural resources of fresh water, to
protect the hydrosphere, and to meet the
current and future human demand. Popula-
tion, household size, and growth and afflu-
ence all affect how much water is used. Fac-
tors such as climate change have
increased pressures on natural water
resources especially in manufacturing and
agricultural irrigation. It is as old as civiliza-
tion itself.
planned city of Dholavira, on Khadir Bet, a
low plateau in the Rann in Gujarat. One of
the oldest water harvesting systems is
found about 130 km from Pune along
Naneghat in the Western Ghats. A large
number of tanks were cut in the rocks to pro-
vide drinking water to tradesmen who used
to travel along this ancient trade route. Each
fort in the area had its own water harvesting
and storage system in the form of rock-cut
cisterns, ponds, tanks and wells that are still
in use today. A large number of forts like
Raigad had tanks that supplied water.
Western Rajasthan
In ancient times, houses in parts of western
Rajasthan were built so that each had a roof-
top water harvesting system. Rainwater
from these rooftops was directed into
Water preservation methods
during ancient times
Writer's Desk
July 2019 • Constrofacilitator
WATER PRESERVATION

2. underground tanks. This system can be
seen even today in all the forts, palaces and
houses of the region.
Jodhpur
The old city of Jodhpur has over 200
stepwells and they were built from around
the 6th century onward as part of an incredi-
bly sophisticated water architecture,” he
explains. During the little rain that the region
receives between June and September
water is diverted from canals built on the
hilly outskirts of the city to man-made tanks
or talabs.
Arthashastra by Chankya
The text mentions how different tax slabs
were created for the people at that time. For
example water drawn from natural
resources tax levied was 25 percent of the
produce. For water drawn from storage it
was 20 percent.
Irrigation Management by Village Assem-
blies
An appraisal of the inscriptions relating to
medieval South India, as reported by
historians24 reveal various functions relat-
ing to irrigation exercised by the village
assemblies which indicate the following
kinds of powers and functions that they pos-
sessed over irrigation.
- Ownership of water resources.
- Powers to arrange for construction,
repairs and maintenance of tanks.
- Powers relating to land transactions
relating to irrigation.
- Management of water supply.
- Levy and collection of cess for irriga-
tion; powers to assign cess.
- Powers to engage and remunerate
local functionaries.
- Dispute settlement.
- Maintenance of records.
- Relationship with Central Government
in certain matters.
Harappa and Mohenjodaro references
The city was built in a semi-arid region aver-
aging 260 mm rainfall annually. There were
no perennial water sources. Subterranean
water was saline, potable water scarce.
Two storm water channels, Manhar (north)
and Mansar (south) flanked the city. The city
was laid out on a 13 m gradient (higher in
the east to lower in the west), ideal for reser-
voirs. It seems the planners knew this. They
made a series of 16 reservoirs between the
inner and outer walls of the city to collect the
monsoon runoff from the channels, which
amounted to 250,000 cu.rr. of water.
Inside the citadel (inner city), there are large
storm drains with apertures. These were not
for wastewater, as archaeologists first
thought, since they were not connected to
housing or bathing platforms. These were
for rainwater. The air-apertures ensured
easy passage of rainwater.
One of the earliest sites of the Indus Valley
civilisation, Dholavira in the Gujarat state
has well documented storage reservoirs in
the form of lakes to collect surface run offs
during the rainy season1. Not only that,
there were intricate channels and check
dams for various purposes. Such structures
have also been found in other sites such as
H a r p a p a a n d M o h e n j o d a r o .
Sringaverapura tank in modern day Uttar
Pradesh was built sometime in the 1st BC
and is a shining example of engineering dur-
July 2019 • Constrofacilitator
WATER PRESERVATION
Constrofacilitator • July 2019

3. ing the early period of Indian civilisation. It
had a remarkable system to clean water
through desiltation2. Naneghat in modern
day Maharshtra is perhaps the oldest exam-
ple of harvesting system for storage of
water.
Reseervoirs to conserve water: A research
study
Univ. of Cincinnati research at the ancient
Maya site of Medicinal Trail in northwestern
Belize is revealing how populations in more
remote areas - the hinterland societies -
built reservoirs to conserve water and
turned to nature to purify their water supply.
Jeffrey Brewer, a doctoral student in the
Univ. of Cincinnati's Department of Geogra-
phy, will present his findings on April 11, at
the Association of American Geographers'
annual meeting in Los Angeles.
Brewer's research continues a UC explora-
tion of the ancient Maya civilization that has
spanned decades. The site for Brewer's
research, which was primarily occupied dur-
ing the Classic Period (AD 250-900), func-
tioned as a rural architectural community on
the periphery of the major ancient Maya site
of La Milpa.
Brewer says this smaller, remote settlement
lacks the monumental architecture and pop-
ulation density typically associated with the
major Maya sites, but shows similar,
smaller-scale slopes, artificial terraces and
water reservoirs that would have been uti-
lized for farming and water management.
Brewer's discovery of artificial reservoirs –
topographical depressions that were lined
with clay to make a water-tight basin –
addressed how the Maya conserved water
from the heavy rainfall from December to
spring, which got them through the region's
extreme dry spells that stretched from sum-
mer to winter. “They also controlled the vege-
tation directly around these reservoirs at
this hinterland settlement,” says Brewer.
“The types of lily pads and water-borne
plants found within these basins helped nat-
urally purify the water. They knew this, and
they managed the vegetation by these
water sources that were used for six months
when there was virtually no rainfall.”
Rainwater harvesting in ancient times
Civilisations in the Indus Valley were far
more advanced than we may think nowa-
days. In many of the ancient cities that still
remain, we can still find huge vats that were
cut into the rock to collect water when there
was torrential rainfall. These were used to
keep the population and local vegetation
going in hotter, dryer times and were fed by
numerous stone gullies that weaved their
way through the city. Some of these rock
vats are still used today in parts of India.
Another technique that has been used for
hundreds of years in India is to build water
harvesting systems on top of the roofs of
houses. It's a simple technology that has
spread across the world, particularly to
countries such as Brazil and China.
Info and Image
- laboratoryequipment.com
- myindiamyglory.com
- edugreen.teri.res.in
- greencleanguide.com
- renewableenergyhub.co
- wikimedia.org
- thebetterindia.com
- quora.com
July 2019 • Constrofacilitator
WATER PRESERVATION