In the late 1950s, those looking for a house on rent would first ask if the house had a well. The reason is simple. A domestic draw well promised perennial water supply. There would be a pulley and a bucket tied to the end of a rope to draw water.
Each member of the family would draw as much water as required for personal use. The kitchen too ran on well water.
The concept of a borewell or a submersible pump set was unknown then. Therefore, there were no overhead tanks to allow tap water. Toilets did not have commodes and flushing cisterns. Hence, wastage of water was minimised. Nearby canals, rivers and other waterbodies such as lakes or ponds ensured continuous water levels in the wells.
There was no power supply in individual houses. But in the 1960s, when electrification became widespread, individual households started installing pump sets, overhead tanks, water supply lines and taps. Some houses even set up flush toilets. Slowly appliances such as iron box, water heater, radio, calling bell and even air conditioner came in.
In my house, we had a draw well and no electrical lines and gadgets. Later, municipal water taps were connected to the houses. Sometimes, there would be no water supply in these lines for three or four days in a row.
Draw wells in some of the houses had been closed as unwanted. We were still maintaining the well and permitting neighbours to come and draw water when the municipal water lines went dry. Again, times changed. Many of the buildings had more householders than in the past. Therefore, new patterns emerged. Before putting up a construction, a bore well was sunk. It served twin purposes: water supply at the site during construction and to the households after the construction. When the water supply, say in summer, was inadequate, it was augmented by an external source of water known as “lorry water”. In some places, manual water pumps were used.
The draw well in our house went dry when a number of bore wells were sunk in and around our area. I was telling my family members that there was no case to close the draw well and it must remain as a relic. We had arranged for a temporary shutter to close the draw well and use the space over the shutter. Once in a while, we would get a water diviner to find the prospects of a fountain in the otherwise dry well. We learnt that the chances were bleak.
One day just to review the present position, I lifted the shutter to find to my surprise that the draw well was partially filled with water, at least 10 to 12 feet from the bottom. My family members and I were happy at the bounty. Presumably, there is back flow of water from somewhere. As a side effect, our bore well now is always filled with water and the pump set supplies a full throat of water. I do not know whether drawing water from a well is a good exercise to reduce blood pressure and diabetes and other manageable diseases. I am happy the relic now remains a real relic for my progeny, now with water. I patted myself for my decision not to close the well.
sri.pasupathi@gmail.com
