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Water systems
It is difficult to harness water, water finds its way, water looks for a slope, water flows, wall to contain the water should be before it comes, water goes all over…From the pyaus for the thirsty to plastic mineral water bottles, something fundamental has changed. Humans have sourced, controlled, guided and stored water; individual or small storages starting from pots, utensils, pits, wells, loto, dhochki, bhotvo, maantlun, Paaniharun, kothi, taankaao, etc. served the household storage of water, Vaavo, kundo, talaavo, kosh, rent, virdaa and such are/were, kosh, rent, virdaa, ponds, lakes, canals, step-wells, water systems and such were functioning systems of yester years and have become our heritage - pointers and reminders of the value of water. Dry and semi desert regions Gujarat and Rajasthan show admirable examples of human ingenious in the processes and types of water storage. Thus, water responsive architecture became the hallmark of these regions. Hydrology, slopes, soil types and such were part of local knowledge. One does not find this concern in Kerala as much as one does in the deserts and the semi-desert regions. There the water wells and the tanks are a household affair. But then in Kerala, drinking water shortage is commonplace and rivers like Bharatpura having gone dry and the water disputes between Kerala and neighboring Tamil Nadu are noteworthy. Concepts: The essential, sacred, scarce, scarcity, rare, settlement, hydrology, ancient, thoughtful, ingenious, decentralized, engineered, constructed, labor intensive, skilled.