BENGALURU: With the onset of pre-monsoon showers and a dip in the groundwater table, there is a rise in demand for traditional well diggers again.
Well diggers say demand has shot up compared to previous years. It is not just their old customers who are contacting them for desilting and digging deeper wells, but also new customers who want wells dug.
Ramashankar, a well digger since 28 years, said in some places the water level is 20ft deep and in others, water is available at a depth of 10ft. “We assess the area before digging a fresh well. We see the soil quality, check for the nearest lake, drain, valley or any water source nearby.
If the land is a dry patch and there are many concrete structures nearby, we have to dig deep for water, else it is not that difficult,” he said. “Ten years earlier, our business had nearly dried up because borewells were being drilled. But now as the water level has dipped and many borewells have run dry, the demand for well diggers to recharge them has increased.”
Explaining how they work, S Muniraju, another well digger, said they explain to people that once it starts to rain, water collection in wells increases and sufficient water is stored. People have started to understand the importance that water is guaranteed forever once wells are dug and maintained.
Experts say this is the need of the hour as concretization in Bengaluru is rising and the space for shoulder drains and lung spaces is shrinking. They also point out that demand is higher from independent houses, residential complexes and private commercial complexes, but none from government departments.
Vishwanath Srikantaiah, a water conservation expert who is working closely with the well diggers, said there is more awareness on improving the groundwater table among people. The idea of encouraging well diggers is two-fold, they help in recharging and maintaining dug wells. They also help deepen existing wells, and increase water storage capacity.
There are around 30,000 well diggers in and around Bengaluru, who are working to recharge wells and aquifers. So far, they have reportedly desilted and deepened around 30,000 wells in and around the city, of which 80 are in Cubbon Park, 300 in Lalbagh and other public parks.
An official from the Groundwater Directorate, not wanting to be named, said, “If a well is dug in one place, people in surrounding areas benefit as the groundwater table improves. Rainwater harvesting is not being implemented by many government organisations, so creation of dedicated recharge wells is a big ask.”
