The water supply network built by our forebears are a blueprint for sustainability
This indigenous technology reached its peak during the Lichhavi period (ca. 200-879 CE). The Mallas (1200-1769 CE) largely expanded the hiti system. One of the oldest documented hiti, Mani Hiti in Mangal Bazar, built in 570 CE by an influential Bharavi, is still functioning today with very little maintenance and human intervention.
Sushil Shrestha, who has two decades of experience in restoring hiti and ponds, explains why the system lasts many centuries, with minimal cleaning and minor periodic maintenance requirements. 1 The builders applied an ingenious biological intervention to keep the channels and spouts running sustainably over centuries. The drainage, when blocked, was cleaned with live frogs and snakes were sent down the narrow drains, and their wriggling motion as they forced their way out of the lower end of the drain, would clear up the obstruction.
- 1. He says, “All components of the hiti system were built using locally available skills and materials like soil, wood, bricks and stone. This ensured self-sufficiency, sustainability and longevity.”
Supriya Shrestha, the current Miss Nepal Earth, has been working on the restoration of an ancient hiti in Dhobi Chaur in Kathmandu in collaboration with the local government. The numerous spouts there were a source of livelihood for the Dhobi community, whose traditional occupation is laundry.1
- 1. Says Shrestha, “Reviving a few hiti in Dhobi Chaur can lead to a massive movement across Kathmandu Valley so communities rehabilitate hiti in their own areas. This can eventually lead to a shift of public opinion to preserve the remaining spouts, restoring the ones that have dried up, and building new ones as a sustainable, cost-effective solution to Kathmandu’s worsening drinking water problem. Reviving the hiti can supplement the city’s modern water supply system, which has fallen short of the demand manifold for a long time.”
The author is a conservation activist.