BENGALURU: He is in a deep pit, at least about 20 feet. He straightens up and smiles. And then he holds a smartphone in his hand and shoots the scene down under.
Thirty-eight-year-old Venkat, a well digger, not just digs wells but uses his smartphone to make a video and post it on social media to draw customers. Earlier, they would go door-to-door asking people if they wanted to get a well dug or cleaned. But now customers are contacting them through social media like Facebook and YouTube.
All is well when the well diggers are around. For, they are the life-givers. They ensure that we get that precious commodity---water. These unsung water heroes belong to the Mannuvaddar or Bhovi community.
Venkat, a resident of Anekal and father of two children, strives day and night, for a measly amount, so that his children do not become well diggers like him. “I learnt the trade from my father. But I send my children to school so that they do not have to do this dangerous job like me. I started digging wells when I was 18. I used to earn very little as people depended on mechanically drilled borewells and the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) for piped water supply. But after I started using social media to promote my work, the calls have increased,” he says.
The demand for this community died down in 1983- 85 when Bengaluru experienced severe drought. But it shot up after the state government made it mandatory for all households and apartment complexes to have rain water harvesting, sumps and recharge wells and these traditional well diggers have started to make a comeback. They are making the optimum use of technology to draw the attention of potential customers. They post live videos along with their contact details.
In the last five months, Venkat and his team have dug 100 wells in individual homes and set up 70 rain water harvesting units in apartment complexes. “The maximum demand is from apartments for setting up rain water harvesting pits. Many calls also come for cleaning the wells to make them recharging wells. We have so far attended customers in Gandhi Bazaar, Majestic, Jayanagar, Central Silk Board, Hebbal and Sarjapura,” says another well digger.
“To ensure we get more customers, the video quality has to be good. And we purchased smartphones which have flash lights so that videos made underground in the well are self-explanatory. We have also bought a car to reach the customer’s destination on time and do the work,” says Krishna, another well digger.
There are 15 well-digger villages, and 750 families around Bengaluru in places like Ramanagara, Sarjapura, Anekal and surrounding areas who work in the city on a daily basis. While some are working with engineering groups, some others have joined hands with Rainwater Club, an NGO.
Each team comprises of 8-10 people. They take not more than two days to manually dig a well, layer it well with cement rings and jelly stones. They bring all the required materials like cement rings, slabs, pipes and sump machines also, depending upon whether a well or a rain water harvesting pit has to be dug. They do a thorough professional job and get around Rs 1 lakh at the end of the work which is then equally divided between them after clearing material payments.
Open wells have a history that goes back to the beginning of civilization. Well digging requires toughness to go deep down under, sometimes even 50 feet. The risks and challenges they face are many -- a dip in oxygen levels, there are chances that the sides of the well might suddenly collapse, and smaller wells get rather claustrophobic. But they do take precautions.
Kanthappa, a third generation well digger, has now also trained his son in the trade. While he works in one location, his son works in another area.
“I have been digging wells since the last 30 years and have not met with any accident. We have learnt the tricks of the trade, like when the mud starts to become slippery, we start to put the cement ring around it immediately. Earlier, womenfolk used to dig wells. But since the last 35 years or so, they have stopped as they prefer to stay at home. They know what we do and so are prepared if there are any untoward accidents,” he says.
The demand for their services depends upon the area. On the city outskirts they are called to set up recharge pits around borewells.
In city core areas, they are called to clean the wells or dig new ones. On the outskirts where groundwater has been exploited to the maximum, they go even 50 feet deep, but in the city limits, the depth of the well ranges from 8- 20 feet.
The well diggers take pride in their skill and capability. While mechanically dug borewells show not more than 60% success, the well diggers have a cent per cent record. The age-old tradition, passed down from one generation to another, has taught even the youngest to dig at least about two feet, assess the soil quality and tell whether there is water in the soil or not.
S Vishwanath, Founder, Rainwater Club, says they help the well diggers in handling their social media, by uploading their videos. By doing this, they are helping them get a livelihood, he adds.
The Club and the well diggers are working towards the goal #OneMillion wells in the city.
“Every day, 1,400 million litres of water is supplied from Cauvery River. But if one million wells and rain water pits are dug, then Bengaluru will no longer have to use Cauvery water. Niti Aayog had said by 2020, Bengaluru will be water-scarce. But the well diggers are proving them wrong and a gated community on Sarjapura Road is a classic example. The well diggers dug 300 wells which improved the groundwater level and made the community self-sufficient. The residents now no longer need to depend on the upcoming Cauvery water pipeline to meet their needs. By using wells, people spend just 75 paise per killo litre on water. They also save electricity,” he says.
The well diggers even educate people on using water wisely and the importance of recharging groundwater. They say that many people take their advice seriously and have started to reduce the usage of Cauvery water.