AISSEE CLASS 6

WATER HARVESTING TECHNIQUES

GHADSISAR
This is a picture of Ghadsisar. Sar means a lake. King Ghadsi of
Jaisalmer got it made 650 years ago with the help of the people. All
around the lake there are ghats with steps leading to the water, decorated
verandahs, large halls, rooms and much more. People came here to celebrate
festivals and for programmes of music and dance. Children came to study in the
school on the ghat. The talab belonged to everyone and everyone took care to
keep it clean. Rainwater collected in this lake spread over many miles. It was
made in such a way that when the lake was full, the extra water flowed into
another lake at a lower level. When that too filled up, the extra water flowed into
the next lake. This way all nine lakes filled up. This rain water could be used
throughout the year. Today, Ghadsisar is no more in use. Many new buildings
and colonies have come up in between those nine lakes. Now the water does not
get collected in these lakes. Rain water just flows away and is wasted.

Every house had a system to collect the rain water. Look at the picture on your
right. How do you think the rainwater that falls on the roof will reach the
underground tank?

A pipe is used to connect the roof and the tank so that the water collected on
roof can flow down to the underground tank through that pipe.

1
www.francissainikcademy.co
 AISSEE CLASS 6
The path of water flowing from roof top to the underground tank is traced with
blue colour in the following picture:

STEPWELLS

STEPWELL
Have you ever seen a stepwell? Look at the picture. Can you imagine by looking at the
picture that the steps go down several storeys deep? Instead of drawing the water up
from the well, the people could go down the steps and reach the water. That is why they
are called stepwells.

Long ago, people used to make long journeys with their caravans of animals and goods.
People felt it was a good thing to give water to thirsty travellers. Thus, they built many
beautiful stepwells.

Besides Jaisalmer, many places in Rajasthan, get very little rainfall. Here it rains for only
a few days in the entire year, sometimes not even that much. The rivers here do not
have water all round the year. And yet, most of the villages in these areas did not have
a shortage of water. People knew that every drop of water was precious. Lakes and
johads were made to collect water. Water was everyone’s need. One and all came
together in this work – be it a businessman or a labourer. Some water from the lakes
soaked into the ground and reached the wells and bavdis (stepwell). The soil of the area
also became wet and fertile.

Customs related to water

Even today people get water from very old lakes, dharas, stepwells and
naulas. Many customs and festivals are related to water. At some places,
whenever

2
www.francissainikcademy.co
 AISSEE CLASS 6
lakes get filled up with rainwater, the people gather around the lake to
celebrate. See the bride of Uttarakhand in this picture. After getting married she
has come to the new village. She bows to the spring or the pond. In cities one
can see an interesting form of this custom. The new bride worships the tap in
her home. Can we even imagine life without water?

Different ways to get water:

3
www.francissainikcademy.co
 AISSEE CLASS 6
Water Harvesting Techniques
Place Method used & Importance

Jammu & Kshmir , Zing is basically a

Ladakh Zings system of collecting
water from melting
glaciers

Uttarakhand

 Uttarakhand has made traditionally from

a rich tradition of 1. Naula stones and is basically
water a small hut like
conservation. structure that houses a
spring.
 Many ingenious Gul are small channels
systems have that originate from a
been in place to source (usually
collect and 2. Guls underground but may
supply water to even be surface) and
the regions in then are diverted to
Uttarakhand. fields or wherever
needed rather than to
store water.
Dhara is again simply a
spring source, such as the
3. Dhara mouth of a lion or bull at
the mouth of the spring
usually found near
temples or rest places

Himachal Pradesh Kul is just like a gul and

Kul is a channel to divert
away water from a
source (usually a glacier).
Khatri is basically a
Khatri rain water harvesting
tank built out of stone

Rajasthan Johad is a simple yet

Johads ingenious, low cost
method of collecting
rainwater. A pit is dug

4
www.francissainikcademy.co
 AISSEE CLASS 6
and the connecting
johads are connected to
it.
Bawaris are stepwells.
Rainwater is collected
Bawaris inside the stepwell which
also provides some
protection against
evaporation
Taanka was widely used
in the Thar desert of
Rajasthan. It is basically
Taanka an underground tank into
which water is collected
by means of rainwater
harvesting.

Nagaland includes conservation of

forests since they help in
increasing rainfall
Zabo water from such forest
hilltops into a reservoir at
a lower level. This water
is then used for
farmlands.

Uttar Pradesh Kunds Basically a reservoir

Bihar Ahars are reservoirs,

Ahar Pynes basically a system for
floodwater diversion and
storage

Maharastra A bhandara is a check

Bhandra Phad dam that is used to
increase the water level

5
www.francissainikcademy.co
 AISSEE CLASS 6
The Ramtek model is
named after the town in
Ramtek Maharashtra where the
practice originated.
It is an elaborate
network of channels
with underground
supply and the water is
channelized through an
extensive network of
tanks, baolis that
replenish the water
supply.

Small check dams were

Katas / Mundas / erected which are
Madhya Pradesh & Bandhas known as katas
Odisha

Eri, Ooranis Erie and Ooranis are

tanks constructed to
collect and house water
TamilNadu that can be used during
the dry season for
irrigation needs.

Dongs mall ponds which are

Assam constructed to collect
water

Delhi Baolis Baolis are stepwells

Bamboo Drip Irrigation an ingenious system

Meghalaya prevalent in the state of
Meghalaya.

6
www.francissainikcademy.co
 AISSEE CLASS 6

Arunachal Pradesh Apatani

Guajarat Viradas small wells in a low

lying area to collect and
harvest rainwater

tunnels that divert the

Surangam water away from a well
Kerala that is dug deep into
the ground.
Korambus Korambu is a
temporary dam

Andaman & Nicobar Jackwells small ponds which are

Islands used to harvest
rainwater

Madakas naturally occurring

depressions and gravity
is utilised to divert the
Karnataka rian water runoff which
is then stored.
Neeruganti

Dungs / Jampols Tiny network of

West Bengal Irrigation canals

Cheruvu a tank or a small pond

that was used as a
Andhra Pradesh reservoir to conserve
and store water.

7
www.francissainikcademy.co
 AISSEE CLASS 6
Points to Discuss:
More than a thousand years ago, a traveller came to India from
Uzbekistan. His name was Al-Biruni.

Al-Biruni carefully observed and noted down the details of all that he saw.
He wrote especially about those things that he found very different from
his own country.

Here is a part of what he wrote about the ponds of that time. “The people
here are very skilled at making ponds. My countrymen would be surprised
to see them. They pile up huge rocks and join them with iron rods to build
chabutaras (raised platforms) all around the lake. Between these, there
are rows of long staircases, going up and down. The steps for going up
and coming down are separate. So there is less crowding.”

Today when we study history, we can learn a lot about those days from
the writings of Al-Biruni. (This stamp came out in 1973, one thousand
years after his birth.)

In 1986, there was no rain in Jodhpur and the surrounding areas. People
remembered the old and forgotten stepwell (baoli). They cleaned the
stepwell and more than two hundred trucks of garbage was taken out of
it. People of the area collected money. The thirsty town got water from
the stepwell. After a few years it rained well and again the stepwell was
forgotten.

Questions:
1. Al-Biruni came from a place now known as ?
A. Tajikistan B. Pakistan C. Uzbekistan D. Iran

2. How many lakes are connected in Ghadsisar?

A. 8 B. 7 C. 9 D. 5

3. What was the major difference between common wells & step wells?

A. Water has to be drawn up in common wells, whereas in step

wells, people can go down the steps & reach the water.
B. Water has to be drawn up in step wells, whereas in common wells, people

8
www.francissainikcademy.co
 AISSEE CLASS 6
can go down the steps & reach the water.
C. Common wells are larger than step wells.
D. Step wells are cheaper than common wells.

4. Which of the following is the source of fresh water?

A. Oceans B. Sea C. Rivers D. None of these

5. Which out of these are man-made resources?

A. Wells B. Rivers C. Sea D. Ocean

6. Why are some people not allowed to draw water from wells?
A. They make the water dirty. B. They draw large amount of water.
C. They dont know how to draw water D. Due to caste system

7. What does the raised platforms around the lake called?

A. Naulas B. Chabutras C. Ghats D. None of these

8. Which out of these is the best way to collect rain water?

A. Keep buckets outside in rain.
B. Collect rain water on roof tops.
C. Keep inverted umbrellas outside in rain.
D. Digging pot holes in the ground during rain.

9. Which out of these is the basic necessity for life?

A. Oil B. Water C. Vegetables D. Woods

10. Three percent of all the world’s water is?

A. Salt water B. Unreachable C. Ice D. Fresh water

11. Artificial lakes were made in earlier times in order to save water.
A. Ground water B. Rain water C. Fresh water D. Drinking water

13. Which product requires the most water to create it?

A. 1 cotton t-shirt B. 1 microchip C. 1 cup of coffee D. 1 hamburger

9
www.francissainikcademy.co
 AISSEE CLASS 6
14. The kitchen and laundry are high consumers of water using between 15-20%
of total water consumption. What is the most effective way to save water in
these rooms?
A. Only use appliances when full
B. Use energy efficient appliances
C. Re use rinse water from the washing machine
D. Plug the sink when washing dishes or peeling vegetables

15. Al-Biruni came from a place now known as ?

A. Tajikistan B. Pakistan C. Uzbekistan D. Iran

16. The garden is an area that can use between 25-40% of the home’s total
water consumption. What can you do to save water in the garden?
A. Use mulch on your garden B. Use soil wetting agents or water crystals
C. Use dripper irrigation instead of sprayers D. All of these

17. What was the major difference between common wells & step wells?

A. Water has to be drawn up in common wells, whereas in step

wells, people can go down the steps & reach the water.

B. Water has to be drawn up in step wells, whereas in common wells, people can
go down the steps & reach the water.

C. Common wells are larger than step wells.

D. Step wells are cheaper than common wells.

18.. Greywater is used water from showers, baths, hand basins and washing
machines that can be used to water the garden. Where should greywater never
be used?
A. On vegetable plants that will be eaten raw B. On lawns
C. On flowering plants D. On seedlings

19. Which type of road doesn’t allow rainwater to soak in the ground?
A. Muddy Roads B. Rocky Road C. Cemented Road D.None of these

20. Which of the following is considered as primary source of water?

A. Rainwater B. River water C. Pond water D. Groundwater

21. When was Ghadsisar made?

A. 650 year ago B. 600 year ago C. 700 year ago D. 860 year ago

1
www.francissainikcademy.co
 AISSEE CLASS 6

22. Lakes and are made to collect water

A. Johads B. Jonads C. Both D. None

23. Jaisalmer is located in?

A. Gujarat B. Rajasthan C. Bihar D. None

24. Bavadis are also called as

A. Lakes B. Talabs C. Nadi D. Stepwell

25. Which of the following is not a form of water harvesting method

A. Stepwell B. Naulas C. Dharas D. None

26. Pond or spring from a mouth of lion or bull is seen in

A. Dhara B. Talab C. Nadi D. Tanka

27. Artificial lakes were made in earlier times in order to save water.
A. Ground water B. Rain water C. Fresh water D. Drinking water

28. Which of the following is not a water harvesting method of Rajasthan

A. Johads B. Kul C. Bawari D. Tanka

29. is the water harvesting system practised in Nagaland

A. Johad B. Kul C. Zabo D. Talab

30. Ramtek Model is found in

A. Rajasthan B. Punjab C. Bihar D. Maharastra

31. Bamboo Drip Irrigation is seen in?

A. Maharastra B. Meghalaya C. Assam D. None

31. is a tunnel ,form of water harvesting seen in Kerala

A. Viradas B. Korambus C. Surangam D. Jackwells

1
www.francissainikcademy.co
 AISSEE CLASS 6
32. Khadins, Ahar Pynes and Kattas are ancient structures that are examples of?
A. Soil Conservation B. Wood Storage
C. Grain Storage D. Water Harvesting

33. Wter Harvesting is a method which

A. Increase Ground Water Level B. Not practised in modern days
C. Has no relation with ground water D. Decrease ground water level

34. Match the following

Structure Purpose
a) Ghadsisar 1. Dams
b) Johad 2. Rain water collection
c) Bavdis 3. Stepwell
A. a-3,b-2,c-1 B. a-2,b-3,c-1 C. a-2,b-1,c-3 D. a-1,b-2,c-3

35. In Rajasthan , stepwells are locally known as

A. Bawari B. Jhalara C. Both A & B D. None

36. The main advantage of Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) is

A. Avoid floods B. Recharge ground water
C. Avoid soil erosion D. Reduce the loss of water

37. is a traditional rainwater harvesting technique indigenous to the

Thar desert region of Rajasthan.
A. Taanka B. Khadin C. Bavadi D. All of these

38. built by the nobility usually for strategic and/or philanthropical

reasons, they were secular structures from which everyone could draw
water.
A. Bavadi B. Khadin

39. The system is based on the principle of harvesting rainwater on

farmland and subsequent use of this water-saturated land for crop production.
A. Khadin B. Bavadi C. Taanka

40. Taanka is used in

A. Rajasthan B. Gujarat C. Mumbai D. Madhya Pradesh

1
www.francissainikcademy.co