Respect traditional and Indigenous forms of knowledge to resolve current water crisis

Is modern machinery really the most environmentally friendly way to extract our water? PRIA has been advocating for the revival of traditional water extraction and conservation techniques, and encouraging Panchayats to develop water management plans in a participatory manner. Shubhayan Sengupta finds out how.

A submersible pump in Chhatisgarh

On 30th June, Prime Minister Modi returned with his monthly radio programme, Mann ki Baat. In his first Mann ki Baat since being re-elected, PM Modi chose to address one of the major issues afflicting India – scarcity of water and the need for water conservation. The week leading to the programme saw media attention to water shortages and drought-like situations, not just in rural India but increasingly in mega cities like Chennai. “I appeal to all Indians, including eminent people from all walks of life, to create awareness on water conservation. Share the knowledge of traditional methods of water conservation,” PM Modi encouraged his listeners.

Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh are two states which suffer severe water shortages in the summer months every year. The Indigenous peoples living in these states used to rely on local ponds, rivers, lakes and wells to fulfil their needs, but over the years, lost out on this tradition due to the popularity and marketing of modern machinery such as bore-wells and hand-pumps. This switch came with its consequences, as these modern machines would also extract water from the ground, without giving it the time to replenish itself. As ground-water levels plummeted and water continued to be pulled from increasingly lower depths, it affected the purity of the water. Ground water became increasing full of harmful contaminants such as arsenic or mercury, which when consumed, can be fatal. This is further compounded by the complete neglect of water-harvesting mechanisms, traditional or otherwise. Therefore, even when it does rain, much of the rainwater does not collect and replenish the water and soil, leading to high run-off and soil erosion. This was seen firsthand in Korba district in Chhattisgarh (one of the districts PRIA was working in) where despite having 1287.6 mm of normal rainfall, the lack of effective measures to conserve the rain and surface water and rampant exploitation of ground water had depleted ground water levels and increased water scarcity, especially during the summer seasons. In another example, in Sahibganj district in Jharkhand, water and sanitation (WATSAN) studies conducted by PRIA showed alarmingly high arsenic levels in the groundwater which was impacting the health of the local inhabitants.

Traditional water structures and mechanisms are being slowly revived in these areas

PRIA worked with the local Panchayats in Korba and Sahibganj to harvest traditional knowledge of water conservation techniques, and included this knowledge into participatory water management plans prepared as part of the annual planning undertaken by gram panchayats. A baseline survey collated information on demographic, local governance structures, development facilities, and status of water in each panchayat. The findings of the survey, which highlighted the water scarcity and lack of adequate water for everyone, were presented and discussed in the gram sabha, in which community members were encouraged to share their lived knowledge of traditional water harvesting and water conservation techniques. Street plays, group meetings and the distribution of pamphlets and posters raised awareness of villagers on the benefits of resuscitating traditional water structures.

This process was instrumental in bringing forward the active involvement of the gram sabha members, especially women (who play a huge part in carrying the water to and fro their homes), and motivating them to raise the issue of water planning in gram sabha meetings. The visioning and plan preparation process that followed was based around collectively improving water management systems in the villages by making use of their traditional knowledge. With the plans prepared, panchayat representatives met with engineers and government officials of the relevant departments seeking to change their plans to include water management systems into departmental budgets. Of the planned works of over Rs 4.1 million across 5 panchayats, water infrastructure related work of approximately Rs 1.3 million was sanctioned within the year, as part of different government and industry schemes (such as MGNREGS).

The Panchayats (and indeed, the community as a whole) sustained their commitment towards maintaining the water sources around them. Collectively, the community made efforts to revive the traditional water conservation structures like dabris, wells, ponds, dhondi, as well as stop dams. Their traditional water management techniques were also documented by PRIA as best practices to spread knowledge to other parts of the country. Most importantly, this was done to show the villagers that their traditional water management techniques are immensely valuable in the modern context and that by developing an appreciation and renewed belief in their own Indigenous systems of knowledge, they can help create a sustainable model of development.

Efforts to value traditional knowledge to build citizen participation bore fruit in Jhansi (as part of the Engaged Citizens, Responsive City project), when citizens organized themselves to clean and revive the local wells in the city. These wells have been in existence for many years. However, due to a dependence on municipality-based water pipelines, they had fallen into a state of deep neglect. The wells had also begun to be used to dispose waste and garbage, dirtying the well water and making it unfit for use. The citizens were mobilized to revive the city’s traditional water sources in an effort to ease the burden on the municipality. They raised their demand at a city-level meeting attended by ward councilors, who in turn collectively raised the issue with the municipality chief and the mayor. Over the next month, 28 such wells across the city were cleaned and the water purified, which has greatly helped the 10,000-odd people living in these wards. The people have now begun to utilize these wells for daily chores, like they used to, many years ago.

PRIA’s experience in promoting and preserving local, Indigenous knowledge shows there is no one way to conserve water, since in different parts of the country, due to climate and terrain, different methods to conserve water have traditionally been used. Unfortunately, many of these collective systems seem to have been lost in favour of “science and scientific methods”. It would be unwise to dismiss outright the efficacy of scientific techniques, but at the same time, PRIA advocates for more respect towards traditional and indigenous knowledge which have provided solutions (and have worked!) for generations. Valuing, not shunning these local knowledge and community-based traditions and norms led to these solutions to blossom in the first place. The creation of a Jal Shakti Ministry does seem to be a promising answer to India’s current water crisis, but many more participatory initiatives which value traditional knowledge are required before India is able to recuperate its rich water tapestry.

Respect traditional and Indigenous forms of knowledge to resolve current water crisis

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