29 Jan Lessons from Bidar’s Ancient Water Systems for Climate Solutions
Written by Aditi Apparaju
Edited by Sofia Juliet Rajan
At the northern tip of Karnataka, on the Deccan Plateau, lies Bidar (see map from Government of Karnataka), a district known for its expansive, treeless plateau landscape. It is divided into two contrasting regions: northern lowlands, with fertile black soil suited for pulse cultivation, and southern highlands with red lateritic soil. Laterite, a unique rock formed through weathering in alternating dry and wet seasons, is prominent in the southern talukas of Bidar, Basavakalyan, and Humnabad. The district’s semi-arid climate brings extreme summers with temperatures going above 40°C. Bidar is also home to two river basins, Krishna and Godavari, and features grasslands that support diverse wildlife, including blackbucks, wolves, and peafowl.
Between the 14th and 16th centuries, the Bahmani Dynasty introduced the Qanat/Karez system in Bidar, Gulbarga, Bijapur (Karnataka), and Burhanpur (Madhya Pradesh). The Qanat/Karez system in Bidar is a network of sloping underground tunnels accessed by vertical wells. The system ingeniously uses the lateritic rock, with its unique worm-like tubes of hydrated iron and alumina oxides, to collect, transport, and store groundwater. After being buried under debris for years, one such system in Central Bidar was rediscovered, and its restoration was overseen by the Indian Heritage Cities Network. From 2013, local organisations like Team Yuvaa and Living Labs Network contributed to the rehabilitation and maintenance, with further efforts by the Deccan Heritage Foundation in 2016. Today, the restored Karez provides a consistent water supply during Bidar’s dry months, allowing locals to draw clean, filtered water, while the water exiting at the “mouth” flows into a nearby river. The laterite’s high absorption capacity allows the Karez to recharge groundwater and aquifers. As water percolates through the stone, it undergoes natural filtration, purifying it for domestic use.
Our visits to the villages and conversations with farmers/locals highlighted the potential of traditional water systems in addressing modern challenges like water supply and storage. Learning about the unique geological features of Bidar and such old water systems begs the question, Why hasn’t more attention been given to developing new technologies that leverage unique landscape/geology for climate resilient water systems?
Navigating Political Neglect: Attitudes and Strategies
Building on previous scoping visits about the role and effectiveness of the Kalyana Karnataka Regional Development Board (KKRDB), conversations in Bidar uncovered new insights. Firstly, like other regions, KKRDB’s lack of vision in its approach to development is evident, with 70% of funds going to infrastructure (mainly roads and highways) and the other 30% towards infrastructure again, but in health and education. Secondly, Bidar’s distance from the state capital Bengaluru adds to the political neglect, with many officials viewing postings there as “punishment postings.” Social activist Vaijanath Vadde who played an instrumental role in the formation of the Kamalnagar Taluka says that this governmental negligence is also due to the lack of public demand for political will and reform. Activist Dileep says migration is often driven by the need for better education, and this exposes how the system has failed its people in the region.
First impressions of the visits to villages in Bidar suggest lower out-migration rates (20-30% per village) compared to its neighbour Gulbarga (60-70%), with migration often being a strategic decision to earn money for children’s education. In subsequent visits, we hope to find more evidence to understand why this is. While direct links to climate change weren’t explicitly stated, discussions highlighted shifting monsoons, rising temperatures, and increased pest prevalence affecting farming practices. When asked about how these changes affected them, they mentioned a range of adaptive strategies. For example, around 10 years ago, when the usual oil seed crop, safflower, began to fail due to poor germination, farmers switched to soybeans. This switch allowed them to not just produce oil and fodder but tap into a new market with products like soy milk and tofu.
We gained deeper insights into adaptive farming strategies during our visit to Raj Kunche’s farm. A return migrant, Raj spent six months in Bangalore before returning to Bidar to pursue farming, preferring the “peace of mind” over the city’s hustle. Inspired by Kavitha Mishra, a successful sandalwood farmer from Raichur, Raj practices mixed cropping, cultivating sandalwood, sitaphal (custard apple), lemons, cashew, mango, marigold, Hebbevu (Malabar neem), fodder grass, vegetables, and millets. He employs 20 Indie dogs to protect his crops from blackbucks, rabbits, and wild boars, and with two borewells and drip irrigation, he hasn’t faced water shortage.
However, a significant challenge for Raj is the limited supply of electricity for irrigation, currently available only from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Vinay Malge of Team Yuva attributes this to outdated infrastructure. “The infrastructure that provides electricity up to the village level (Main station >> sub-station >> transformer >> house/farm) has not been upgraded due to high costs. Rural feeders do not have high load-bearing capacity and hence cannot provide continuous electricity. They need to upgrade the entire system because upgrading only the transformers will overload the substation, and if the substation is upgraded, the main station will still fall short.”
Given the history of political negligence in the north Karnataka region, and more so in Bidar, people’s relatively quick ways of dealing with risks and uncertainty raise the question: How are different districts of the North Karnataka region adapting at different rates despite varying degrees of political influence? What are the factors that influence this and in what ways do they speak to immobility?