History of water conversation
• Talabs - reservoirs that store water for household consumption and drinking purposes.
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• Baoli- built by the nobility for civic, strategic or philanthropic reasons, baolis were secular structures from which everyone could draw water. These beautiful stepwells typically have beautiful arches, carved motifs and sometimes, rooms on their sides.
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• Taanka - a cylindrical paved underground pit into which rainwater from rooftops, courtyards or artificially prepared catchments flows. Once completely filled, the water stored in a taanka can last throughout the dry season and is sufficient for a family of 5-6 members.
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• Khadins - ingenious constructions designed to harvest surface runoff water for agriculture.
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However, these structures and especially stepwells are very old and unfit for use anymore. Therefore, these need reconstruction. That is where we step in. We aim to collaborate with an NGO and reconstruct stepwells to help the people in that region have access to a source of water. So, we humbly request you for your generous donations.
Stepwells- a physico chemical perspective
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“Pure water is the world’s first and foremost medicine.”
Water is one of the most vital resources on Earth. Day-by-day our planet’s population is increasing exponentially and with it is increasing pollution due to industrialization, use of fertilizers in agriculture etc. Natural water, like in stepwells, contains different types of impurities that are introduced into the aquatic system by different ways such as weathering of rocks and leaching of soils, dissolution of aerosol particles from the atmosphere and from the human activities mentioned. Since contaminated water can lead to a plethora of diseases, its purity has to be checked. Here lies the physics and chemistry. Physical parameters include temperature, turbidity, colour, odour, taste, suspended and floating matter etc. While chemical ones include organic and inorganic (DO), Biochemical Oxygen Demand Demand (COD), nitrogen in various forms, pH, alkalinity, chlorides, sulphates, heavy metals, pesticides etc. These parameters can be taken into account in order to determine the purity of water collected in these step wells. The stepwells we intend to work on will be filled with good quality water which will be tested. Like the old days, stepwells will be reconstructed as sites for drinking, washing and bathing (as well as for festivals and sacred rituals-for tribes and villagers living around them).
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For all those interested, here’s the science behind it:
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1. Total Dissolved Solids (T.D.S.) of water
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T.D.S of water = ((B-A)/V) × 106
Where B= Final weight of beaker
A= Initial weight of beaker
V= Volume of sample
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2. Determination of Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
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DO of water sample (mg/lt) = 8*1000*N*v/V
Where N = Normality of solvent
V = Volume of water sample
v = volume of titrant used
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3. Determination of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (B.O.D.)
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BOD is computed based on the difference between initial and final D.O.
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4. Determination of chemical oxygen demand (COD)
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Consider the formula for COD calculation: (a - b) X C X 8,000 / the volume of the sample in mL.
Let "a" represent the titrant used for your sample expressed in mL.
Let "b" represent the titrant used for your blank sample in mL.
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Let "C" represent the normality of the ferrous ammonium sulphate. Your result will be expressed in milligrams per litre.
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5. Determination of pH of water
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Dipped the pH paper in the water sample and observed the colour.
Feminine aspect of Stepwells
The role of women as custodians of rituals and religious activities have a deeper association with spaces of worship, especially informal shrines and neighbourhood temples. These thus, take on the role of significant spaces for women and contribute in the They also included friezes composed of deities, humans and animals, depicting domestic life. Inadvertently, these gatherings extend into sessions where women get a chance to talk about their problems, and form a support group. The politics of space and religion are therefore innately linked. It creates opportunities for the transfer of knowledge, seen more strongly in case of women; both at an individual as well as community level, outside of the immediate kin.
Three of the most important stepwells: Rani ki vav, Rudabai stepwell in Adalaj and Bai Harir vav in Asarwa, were all commissioned by women; Queen Udayamati, Queen Rudadevi and Bai Harir, the superintendent of the royal harem of the household of Mahmud Begada, respectively.
In case of shrines like stepwells, these social interactions happen on a daily basis, because in addition to the religious aspect, stepwells are primarily a source of water, and since gendered segregation of work has ensured collecting water, washing clothes, bathing children etc is women’s work, it gave them reprieve from their domestic lives for a few hours in a day. Furthermore, due to their inclusive disposition ,these spaces were more pluralistic, and accommodated women from different religions, creating opportunities for strong bonds and solidarity among women from different backgrounds.