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Step wells
Step wells are deep wells that were built to collect the rain and the ground water as water supply. The constructions are not only utilitarian, but also of architectural significance.
When we first saw the step wells, we arrived without knowing what was waiting for us, and therefore, we were very impressed and surprised. We were shocked, that
people throw their garbage into the wells. We didn't know anything about step wells and their existence in Delhi. Ayush, our guide began to explain to us, how Delhi looked a thousand years ago and why these wells were so vital.
As we walked through the city, we noticed that these water supplies and the reservoirs are not used for any practical purpose. We also learned that water is a limited resource and that we need to conserve it.
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Field trip to Mehrauli
Today we visited some ruins in Mehrauli where our guide Ayush has shown us various step-wells, called baolis. These were over a thousand years old and had lost their importance for the water supply in Delhi, due to the usage of pipe lines. This was one part of a project which presented us the way how India manages its water supply in ancient times. The first step-well had healing properties, due to the sulphur and the other one was for the daily use. Afterwards we visited a palace ruin which was located next to a water tank, which was also used by the people for recreational use. WE learned that there is an inequality between how much water is supplied to the rich and the poor, varying from 16liters a day a person to 250 litres a day and person.
During the time Delhi had changed a lot. Ayush gave us some information of where Delhi's water supply came and some still comes from. 70 percent of the water comes from the Yamuna River which runs through Delhi. The city Delhi used to be surrounded by a mountain range which has been demolished today due to expansion and yearning of resources. Many of the small rivers the water came from are now dried out.
Ayush told us about how much pollution, as well as the size of our ecological footprint is, which was shocking to see. The great disparity between the less fortunate and the more privileged people made us think about the whole system and how to distribute water equally to every person. We became aware of the amount of water which we actually utilize every day and where it ends up afterwards. The most shocking thing for us to realize was that the wasted water stays untreated and is pumped back into the Yamuna River.
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