Springs of hope in Maharashtra's Western Ghats

Driving up the winding kachcha road to Akhegani about 20 kms away from Panchgani we see one of the two dams constructed in the valley on either side of the table top The dams were built and contain enough water to provide for the villages in this area And yet the Gram Panchayat is able to supply only 30 litres mdash an equivalent of about three buckets mdash per day to each person in Akhegani a village of 500 residents in Satara district Left exposed at source a natural spring is vulnerable to contamination The dams are not a realistic solution for Akhegani which is nestled on a table top along the Western Ghats ldquoPumping the water from the dams up to Akhegani would cost the village a small fortune every day Instead they rely on two borewells and two natural springsrdquo says hydrologist Dr Jared Buono who works with Panchganibased organisation Grampari Natural springs Buono believes are the most sustainable and practical source of water for Akhegani and for most other villages along the Western Ghats Over the past three years Buono has worked with 12 villages in the region facilitating the revival of their springs A spring box constructed at the source of the spring ensures the water stays clean enough to drink Pics CourtesyJared Buono The Ghats are layered with basalt a relatively impervious rock Buono explains during the drive to Akhegani ldquoA small portion of the monsoon rains can enter the rock where it percolates down and hits an impervious layer It then moves laterally and can emerge on the side of a mountain as a natural spring Many mountains in the Western Ghats are also capped with laterite a relatively porous rock that absorbs much more rainfall On these mountains springs can be very large providing a steady source of water throughout the yearrdquo he adds Men and women from Pachputewadi worked together to restore their springs As a result the Ghats have tens of thousands of natural springs mdash most of which have served as traditional sources of water to much of rural Maharashtra Old timers tell the story of a man who had worked hard decades ago to ensure that the springs were used optimally During the great famine of the 1970s he had ensured that the springs were enclosed at source He had also laid down a number of pipelines in the region some of which continue to carry water to the villages even today But not much more is known about this mystery man who just like most of the abandoned springs seems to have been forgotten Spring cleaning On reaching the Akhegani temple where we meet Sarpanch Sahibrao Shankar Gawde we realise just how keen the people are to begin restoring their 40yearold spring box Sixtyfiveyearold Gawde and the village mason Dilip Sapkal ask Buono to give them an estimate and a detailed list of the materials required for the construction ldquoWe want to begin work within the next two daysrdquo announces Gawde A determined leader to the villagers for the past two years Gawde worked in Mumbai until he returned to the village as a retiree four years ago Perhaps his long absence explains why he had never visited the spring in the midst of forest land before we make our trip together The tiny trickle of water at the origin of the spring could easily be ignored Because of soil erosion over the decades the outlet has moved away from the spring box Left open to the mercy of nature it is covered by a mass of dried leaves ldquoAnd animal faecesrdquo adds Buono ldquoUntil recently the villagers were drinking this highly contaminated waterrdquo Akheganirsquos Sarpanch Sahibrao Gawde centre discusses an action plan to restore the natural spring on site PicMoeena Halim Gawde along with two youngsters who have joined our party begin to clean up the mess But this is obviously no permanent solution ldquoWe will announce a shramadhan coming together of the community and get everyone to help with the constructionrdquo says Gawde Two days later he calls to update me ldquoAbout thirty peoplemdashboth men and womenmdashhave started working together We will not stop until the spring box has been constructedrdquo he states But thatrsquos not where it ends The tanks in the village which store the spring water are suffering from major leaks Fixing these will be their next priority ldquoDuring times like these each drop of water is precious We cannot afford to let it slip awayrdquo says Gawde Where the springs ran dry Once construction of a spring box is finished maintaining it isnrsquot difficult ldquoWhen itrsquos done right the spring box needs to be checked on only once or twice a year It can be cleaned once every four yearsrdquo says Buono ldquoJust to be on the safe side at Pachputewadi we used to send two people to check the cover of the spring box once every 15 days It is about an hourrsquos walk from our village Sometimes herders break the lid to allow their cattle to drink water or monkeys contaminate itrdquo reveals Ashok More whose hamlet Pachputewadi comes under Abhepuri village in Wai Taluka Satara districtu00a0 These were circumstances More and his fellow villagers were prepared for But three months ago they were in for a shock ldquoFor the first time ever we found that our springs had run completely dryrdquo rues More When a group of villagers trekked to the source they found the area under massive development Twelve bore wells have been dug to supply water for the construction work leaving the springs completely dry A year and a half ago the residents of Pachputewadi organised a shramadhan pooled in their resources and worked hard to restore seven spring boxes in the region with technical help from Grampari This meant that the village had sufficient supply of running water ldquoNow because the Gram Panchayat orders tankers for us we barely get 50 litres per day per household If we want more we have to pay Rs 150 per hour to those with private wellsrdquo says More The people of Pachputewadi are not ones to sit back and mourn the loss of the springs but a strategy needs to be worked out One of the biggest challenges they face is a weak government policy According to state law digging of a bore well within 500 metres of another drinking water source is forbidden Trouble is natural springs arenrsquot currently listed as a source of drinking water Stop the fire Climate change and development are the major troublemakers for springs neither of which the villagers have much of a say in But forest fires too play a significant role in diminishing natural springs in the Western Ghats ldquoCattle herders set deliberate fires to burn forested land which they believe allows grass to grow with greater ease As a result the Ghats are left with huge zones of deforested landrdquo states Buono pointing to the large yellow patches on the mountains Deforestation leaves the soil exposed which prevents proper recharge of water in the area ldquoReforestation can ensure that natural springs continue to flow and supply water to villagesrdquo says Buono who says he isnrsquot antidevelopment either ldquoBut development must be done sustainably keeping the arearsquos ecology in mindrdquo Why have springs been ignored Just one per cent of the Western Ghats is home to enough natural springs to supply water to 12000 villagers ldquoDistance isnrsquot usually a problem as long as the water is flowing downstream The longest pipeline Irsquove seen is a threekm long onerdquo exclaims Buonou00a0But how did these traditional sources of water get to be so neglected Rahul Bakare groundwater expert at the Bangalorebased organisation Argyham believes the arrogance of the borewell technology is the key factor ldquoIt costs merely Rs 50000 to dig a bore well A lack of communitybased thinking among the younger generation means that those who can afford to dig bores or private wellsrdquo believes Bakareu00a0The Maharashtra government not sufficiently equipped with the technical details of natural springs along the Western Ghats has paid little heed to these sources of water until now But Bakare whose organisation has agreed to fund Gramparirsquos work with springs in the region is hopeful that this will change in the near future The springfed temple Godavlirsquos Tapneshwar Temple is an ideal example of the traditional use of springs Built at the source of a perennial spring the temple has a network of nullahs that lead water to a set of tanks ldquoOne tank is for use within the temple one for bathing one for washing clothes and a fourth mdash constructed at a distance mdash is meant for cattlerdquo explains Lakshman Narayan Malushray a resident of Godavli a 1000voter strong village only a few kilometres away from Panchgani ldquoBut it has been 10 years since the templersquos tanks ran dryrdquo rues Malushray who fondly remembers taking a dip in the gaumukh tank pictured above as a child A month ago the villagers approached Grampari for help to restore the springs ldquoIt will mean a lot to have the water running in the temple againrdquo says Malushray But whatrsquos more exciting is that the community has promised to work on building a well for the Buddhists who live on the other side of the village after the spring has been restored ldquoThis group will not benefit from the restoration of the temple springs so it is great that there will be a shramadhan organised to help the Buddhists toordquo says Buono who is surveying the area for them and offering construction advice u00a0