Well of wisdom

Champaner-Pavagadh can give a few lessons in water-harvesting to civic bodies. The town, which recently found its way into UNESCO8217;s Wor...

Champaner-Pavagadh can give a few lessons in water-harvesting to civic bodies. The town, which recently found its way into UNESCO8217;s World Heritage list, had a water-harvesting network of inter-connected wells, stepwells, ponds and underground channels that met the needs of its 40,000-strong population in the 15th century.

Though much of the network has deteriorated due to disuse and neglect, it may finally get its share of recognition as part of a thesis by Surat-based architect Sumesh Modi.

The thesis is titled 8216;8216;To Reconstruct the Traditional Water Systems of Capital City of Greater Gujarat: Champaner-Pavagadh 1484-15358217;8217; and Modi says that it was a 8216;8216;chance discovery8217;8217; that led to his decision to work on it at the Leicester-based De Montford University.

8216;8216;I was working with my wife also an architect on architectural documentation of the medieval city for the Heritage Trust, when we found these channels. We cleared them with the help of the Forest Department and found that they connected some wells on the Pavagadh plateaus,8217;8217; says Modi.

8216;8216;We presented a paper on this at the International Conference on Water and History held in Bari Italy in 2002. It8217;s such an intelligent, beautiful and scientific system that I thought it called for a full-fledged study,8217;8217; Modi, still working on the project, adds.

The topography of Pavagadh is divided into five plateaus, which form independent watersheds. Archeological experts like MSU professor V.H. Sonawane feel that the beauty of the system lies in the fact that the topography was keenly studied and then used to advantage.

8216;8216;Natural landforms have been intelligently used to divert and store water in structures like valves, wells and ponds on the hill,8217;8217; Prof Sonawane says.

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According to Modi8217;s study, the five plateaus 8212; Kalika Mata, Mauliya, Bhadrakali, Machi and Atak 8212; have catchment structures connected to channels that carried water along the gravitational pull and kept them full for the greater part of the year.

8216;8216;It was a fledgling city and capital town. All these arrangements were made to keep the populace well-sustained,8217;8217; he says. 8216;8216;We are in the process of quantifying certain aspects of the whole system,8217;8217; the architect adds.

According to Prof Sonawane, the importance of water for the town can be gauged from an inscription found from a well near the hill, that emphasises the need to conserve water. 8216;8216;It was found in Mandvi village in the vicinity. In Nagri script, it says that even if one succeeded in accumulating water from the foot of a cow, he would go to heaven,8217;8217; says the Professor.