Stepwell restoration: Welfare and Green GDP
Stepwells: An Overview
1.
A ‘stepwell’ is a term that
refers to a subterranean monument that is stepped and has the capacity to hold
and store water in a traditional and sustainable manner.
2.
Stepwells date back to the 3rd
millennium BC in India.
3.
They fell into disuse in the
19th century under the rule of the British Raj, whence they were declared as
unhygienic and prohibited from use, and replaced with taps and pumps to deliver
water to rural areas.
4.
They are now culturally
decadent and hygienically unsuitable as they’re being used as spaces for
disposing of waste.
5.
Plastic bottles, wrappers, and
other urban waste can be found lying at the bottom of the stepwells without a masonry
base, stagnating in water.
6.
Recently, revival strategies
have been recommended that rejuvenate and retrofit stepwells into modern urban
cityscapes
Impact on society
Preservation of Culture
1.
India’s multi-cultural,
multi-linguistic and multi-racial ideals were represented in these stepwells
with their vivid history of art, music, dance, language, and architecture.
2.
Back in the day, stepwells were
intricately embellished, and provided protection from the tropical heat to
travelers and villagers.
3.
The embellishments and
sculptures in the wells portrayed in detail all sorts of carvings about
battles, mythical creatures, deities, and ordinary activities like women
churning butter, combing their hair: all being a great treasure to
anthropologists.
Tourism
1.
These antediluvian monuments
hold great potential for tourism.
2.
These stepwells can also be
turned into major tourist attractions and social interaction hubs in the form
of parks, ‘melas’ and ‘Haat-Bazaars’ (Traditional Commercial Centers). This
would also effectively generate revenue for maintaining them, one of the major
challenges in its upkeep.
3.
On a smaller scale, they can water
shows in carnivals
It May be used to reduce socio-economic disparity
If used effectively, the process of
restoration of stepwells may be used to strategically employ underprivileged
groups, empower women, and create hallowed ground for communal harmony.
Employment Generation
The process of restoration is bound to
require human capital, and hence generate reliable, sustainable employment.
National Income growth
The impact of water scarcity on GDP by 2050, relative to a
baseline scenario with no scarcity: according to the world bank.
Sources of water
The above infographic has made incredibly
clear just how scarce water is in India. It is clear that we need more of it,
and stepwells have historically proven to be a great source of freshwater:
Green GDP (Externalities)
Green GDP is a term used generally for expressing GDP after
adjusting for environmental damage. An externality is a cost or benefit of
an economic activity experienced by an unrelated
third party. They exist when the actions of one person or entity affect the
existence and well-being of another.
Restoration of stepwells adds to the green GDP by reducing
dependence on water procured through means that are harmful to the environment.
A few externalities that come about from stepwell restoration are:
1.
More greenery, leading to more
oxygen and general aesthetics of a place
2.
The formation of a meeting
place for people
3.
A way art and culture can be
appreciated
4.
Employment
All of these are positive externalities and are beneficial to society as a whole.
Inference
India has 18% of the world's population but
only 4% of the world’s water resources.
Thus, the stepwells can be enlivened to
improve the aesthetics of the urban fabric while serving as solutions to the
problem of depleting water resources for a growing population. Furthermore, it
would also be instrumental in conserving the cultural heritage of various
Indian traditional settlements.
I
believe that there is an immediate need for more water, which stepwells
provide, along with numerous other benefits. Some are better employment
opportunities, environment consciousness, and socio-cultural jubilance.
Sources
Conference paper: Stepwells: Reviving India’s
Cultural and Traditional Water Storage Systems by Meenakshi Piplani and
Tarun Kumar
http://www.saheindia.org/civic-responsibility/stepwells-underground-marvels/
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