Baolis, also known as baoris or vavs, are man-made step-wells that were constructed to serve as underground water resources. These structures have always been popular in India, primarily in the arid areas, and played a significant role in water conservation. More commonly seen in the western parts of India, the baolis provided villages with water for drinking, washing, bathing, and also for irrigation, especially during periods of water shortages in seasonal fluctuations.
People living in the subcontinent have always been involved in water harvesting, and that is evident from the advanced and elaborate water management that were created by the Harappans. The oldest example of water management in India is found from the proto-historic era in different Harappan sites. The various tanks, interconnected chains of reservoirs, cisterns, drainage channels, public and private wells, baths, dams, and dock (in Lothal) seen in various sites, such as Dholavira, Banawali, Kalibangan, Mohenjo-Daro (now in Pakistan), etc., exemplify the excellence of the water management system of those times. The Harappans were experts builders of raised hydraulic structures of various types, and were also the first to start using the ground water resources by sinking a well. As R.S. Bist, a reputed archaeologist, had said “This kind of efficient system of Harappans of Dholavira, developed for conservation, harvesting and storage of water speaks eloquently about their advanced hydraulic engineering, given the state of technology in the third millennium B.C.E.”
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