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FAITHFULLY HARVESTING THE RAIN: AN OLD CHURCH IN COASTAL WESTERN INDIA
Rainwater harvesting isn't just for
drought-prone regions, nor is it an
entirely recent development. Shree
Padre travels to an old church in
Dakshina Kannada district, in coastal
Karnataka, where despite living in
one of the rainiest places in the nation,
monks put up a roof water harvester many
decades ago, and maintain it to this day.
Shree Padre reports from the region.
Tanka, the centuries-old rooftop water harvesting system, is common
in dry states like Rajasthan and Gujarat. But rainwater storage in
cisterns is a relatively new development in states like Karnataka.
The Dakshina Kannada district, in particular, is one place you
wouldn't expect to see such a cistern; after all the district gets
4000 mm of rain annually, nearly four times the national average.
It is surprising, therefore, to learn of a 75-year-old tanka in
this rain-rich corner. Even more intriguing, this system is still
working, a fact not well known outside the Saint Fidelis Friary of
Farangipete, where it sits. And as if to complete the mystery, the
church is situated only a stone's throw away from the Nethravathi
river.
This church, built by the Portuguese in 1526, was the first one in
Madras State in this district. After the Portuguese left the
country the church was abandoned, but renovation was taken up again
in 1930. The facade of the chapel, the only remnant from the
original 15th-century building, is still in amazingly in good
condition.
What prompted the friary to take up rainwater storage in an era
when water shortage was unknown, and at a location so close to an
endless supply? Salt, it turns out, is the problem. In this coastal
region, sea water often enters into the river at summer's end. And
this may be one reason the priests took to storing water.
Fr. Otho, 80, a priest who has spent most of his lifetime here
after joining the church in 1941, suggests another reason. "The
well is in far lower place. To lift the water from there at that
time, two of us had to spend all our energy to operate the hand
pump. Water had to rise up in a narrow tube."
This might be another reason for going for RWH, or rain-water
harvesting. Now, the well water is not potable. It is slightly
brackish even now -- during monsoon. Fr. Cornelius, the current
senior priest at the friary, explains this further: "We pump the
river water to irrigate our coconut garden in summer. At that time,
the river water turns brackish. The salt particles deposited in the
garden get down to the well in the monsoon."
In 1930, when the church was renovated, the rain storage system was
built. A French priest, Fr. Symphorian was the architect. While
constructing the monastery, the cellar below the verandah was
converted into a storage tank. It measures about 20 x 9 x 12 feet
and holds about 60,000 litres.
An iron pipe from the roof brought water to the cistern. Without
electricity to pump water, the toilet and the wash area were wisely
located in a lower elevation, allowing water to flow here by
gravity. The older galvanized pipes have now been replaced by PVC.
This technique of storing water below the room of a building was
unknown in the southern states in that time; perhaps Fr. Symphorian
had seen or himself taken up such work in France earlier.
Clear information about the management of the stored water is not
available. According to Fr. Cornelius, it was used only for
non-potable purposes, and therefore the roof water was directly fed
into the tanka without filtering.
But conservation set in as a laudable goal early on. Fr. Cornelius
remembers, "You see, I was a student here. At that time, we used to
collect water from the pipe in buckets and carry it to bathroom,
etc. Only one bucket was allowed for bathing. Of course, now, we
have fitted a motor. Now we have other water sources too. And you
know what happens under such circumstances."
Decades ago, the Nethravathi turned brackish only in
March each year. But the recent construction of a vented
dam in nearby Thumbe has made things more difficult. Now
often the water is brackish even before January.
The church procures drinking and cooking water from some nearby
sources, but these aren't reliable. Assuming that water problems
will worsen in the future, the church has constructed a new 25,000
litres tank. "If the available sources fail, we will immediately
connect the down-pipe from the roof to this tank", says Fr.
Cornelius.
One simple, but important lesson in water conservation is this:
Make the maximum use of rain water. If not for potable purposes, it
can be used for all non-potable needs.
In many places, there is scope to catch rain in available storage
vessels or sumps. This habit will save valuable groundwater and
expenses on energy. In heavy rainfall areas, industries and
establishments that need huge quantities of water can take up rain
storage arrangements.
By building underground tankas they can give their bore wells a
break for up to four months -- this means 33% savings in
electricity charges. A simple addition -- a full-fledged filter --
could bring much of the rain water to potable levels too. Depending
on its usage pattern, a 60,000 litres tanka can harvest 400,000 to
600,000 litres of water each year, even more if the rainfall is
distributed well around the year.
-------------------------
Contacts:
St. Fidelis Friary
Farangipete,
Dakshina Kannada District
Karanataka 574143
Phone: (08255) 272237
-------------------------
This tanka may well be the first rainwater harvesting system in the
Malnad belt, a heavy rainfall area, where annual precipitation
averages between 2500 and 4000 mm. It has potential to inspire a
lot of people about rainwater usage, an unexpected but necessary
education in this region.
There is an acute drinking water shortage in many parts of the
district. Every year, the district administration spends a
considerable amount on tank water supply. It is only recently that
the district administration is waking up to realize the
possibilities of rainwater harvesting, and the absolute need for
this even in a rain-rich area.
Of late, Karnataka State government schemes have been introduced to
install rainwater harvesting systems in schools and villages. The
district administration and interested persons might well pay a
visit to Farangipete, and its decade-old answers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Shree Padre wrote this on September 13, 2005. The
writer is a journalist with many years of experience in
agricultural reporting. He is the author of several books,
including one on rainwater harvesting, published by Altermedia.
Recently he was awarded the Statesman award for rural reporting.
Shree Padre can be contacted at Post Vaninagar Via: Perla - Kerala
Phone : 08251-287234; 04998-266148 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web:
www.farmedia.org/profiles/Padre.html
www.rainwaterharvesting.org/People/RuralJY.htm#shre
www.goodnewsindia.com/Pages/content/conservation/shreePadre.html
His signature file reads: Rain is a gift from the sky; deposit it
in earthen bank! This article was earlier published at
http://www.indiatogether.com/2005/sep/env-friary.htm
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