In the Sampanghiram Nagar area of Bengaluru, an ancient stone well that was long filled with plastic, silt, and garbage now provides water to local residents after restoration work.
Years of neglect led to the accumulation of plastic waste, broken concrete, silt, and organic waste in the well. The stone walls were pierced by weeds, and many residents stopped considering the well a useful object.
The restoration was completed in 2022 with support from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and was carried out by the organization SayTrees Environmental Trust. Currently, the well is maintained by both residents and local authorities.
The public well measures seven feet wide and forty feet deep. Initially, motors were used to pump water, allowing workers to reach the bottom and remove the accumulated waste and dirt over the years.
Workers used manual labor and cranes to extract the dirt from nearly forty feet deep. The extracted silt and garbage were piled up nearby to dry, after which tractors transported them away.
After the restoration, the well is capable of holding over 43,000 liters of water. According to the project, more than 1,000 liters are consumed daily through the community's public tap.
Resident Srinivas, who has lived in the area for the last 40 years and owns a shop here, relies on local water sources when corporate supply is unstable. He noted that the recent cleaning and restoration of the well have brought great benefit to all residents of the area.
Now residents come with metal and plastic buckets. One person who visits the public tap daily shared their experience about how much water they collect, saying it is 'six buckets'.
A volunteer emphasized that using water from cisterns shapes a certain mindset. Restored wells help bring people closer to groundwater, aiding its replenishment and providing an additional local source for the areas.