Traditional water harvesting structures District Churu, Rajasthan

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Traditional water harvesting structures District
Churu, Rajasthan
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Rajasthan has a rich tradition of harvesting
rainwater. In different parts of the state there
are many different traditional ways for water
harvesting. Tanka/ kund, talai are popular
rainwater harvesting structures in Churu
district. Before independence rich folks got them
built for community as part of their pious
contribution to the community. The generosity of
a rich person was also judged by the community on
the basis of number of water harvesting bodies
sponsored by an individual.
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Tankaas or kunds are covered underground
traditional rainwater harvesting structures with
their own structured ground catchment surface.
They have a history of hundreds of years. These
tankaas are unique to Churu region in Rajasthan
and have been an integral part of the desert
society. Most of the tankaas of yesteryears have
ornamental decorations and are made of lime
stone. Tankaas are either individual or community
owned structures.
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For the past 35 - 40 years tankaas have lost
their appeal among the people as government tried
to supply water. Moreover the traditional tankaas
are expensive for the common farming family in
this drought prone area. For the past 7 years
SCRIA has been promoting a less expensive model
of this traditional water harvesting body in an
effort to revive it. Above is a picture of a low
cost Tankaa on a farm.
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A Tankaa is a source of water not only for humans
but for animals too in the household. Taankas are
revered by the desert community as sacred. Every
structure has a small Devaalya where usually
Hanumaanji is the presiding deity.
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Tankaa with roof surface as catchment these are
popular as household harvesting structures among
households with limited space
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Taanka in a school usually structures in school
have small hand pumps fitted on for drawing out
water
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A low cost modified tankaa with twin silt
catchers. Traditionally tankaas do not have silt
catchers. This has been introduced by SCRIA for
the past five years and is becoming popular for
structures where water is exclusively used for
drinking purpose
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Women celebrating the completion of a Tankaa by
singing devotional songs and offering sweets to
the presiding deity of the Tankaa
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Village ponds are known as Talai or Johad in
Churu district of Rajasthan. They are open
community water harvesting structures. Nearly
every village has at least one Talai. Like
Tankaas Talai too enjoy a sacred status and
nearly all have a Devaalya, a small temple. There
are two kinds of Talais, i kutcha - simple dug
ponds with no stone pitching or masonry work and
ii pucca pond with stone pitching or masonry
work on embankment or floor
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A pucca talai Such structures are usually 70 -
100 yrs. old and have been built by local rich
families
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A silted disused pucca Talai Governments
water supply schemes resulted in total neglect of
traditional water harvesting systems
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A renovated pucca Talai Full with water after a
good rain Fed up with an unreliable erratic
water supply, people in the villages have again
started to embrace their traditional water
harvesting systems
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Another renovated stepped pucca Talai
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Our Talai - Sangathan members of village Khaari
Chaabri in district Churu, worked against all
social economic odds to make this talai, the
one only source of fresh water in their village
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A kutcha talai before renovation w/ eroded
embankments
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A kutcha talai getting a silt trap - Many Talais
do not have a slit trap. SCRIA encourages
communities to built them near their kutcha talai

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A restored renovated kutcha talai full with
fresh water