Treating Water through Traditional Ways: A Conservational Approach in Patalkot

Patalkot valley in central India is a home of tribals. This rugged valley, with its utter gorgeousness, is land of ethnicity and ritual. The local tribesmen are expert in curing various health related disorders. Tribals live in great harmony without disturbing each other’s life. For farming purposes, valley is fully dependent upon rain-water, whereas, for consumption purposes, they have to collect water from water springs and river running nearby. This water may be contaminated or hazardous to consume. But, for thousands of years, these tribals are performing traditional ways to treat the drinking water so that it becomes microbe or dirtiness free.

The Government has taken more than a few measures to make available filtered water to such rural and diffident areas, but there is still a solemn lack of potable water in remote areas like Patalkot. It not an easy task to reach all villages in this valley because of its difficult and inaccessible geographical structure. Even then, these tribals have more than a few traditional practices to take care of the impure water. The local know-how they perform is economical, handy and home based, dependent on locally existing natural products and commonly available knowledge. These practices are performed on the domestic levels not to cater large population.

Women of Rathed village in Patalkot valley use a novel technique to purify mud-spattered water taken from the nearby river which flows through the Raja ki Khoh area. The river water becomes muddy in the rainy seasons. The women make use of leaves of a tree called Nirgundi (Vitex negundo) to purify the muddy water. The river water is reserved in the pots filled with half filled Nirgundi dry leaves for 30 minutes to one hour. By this time, the leaves soak up water and settle down entirely with the sludge, and the water becomes visibly clean and germ free. In Kareyam village, tribals put Drumsticks fruits (Moringa oleifera) and Tulasi leaves (Ocimum sanctum) in impure water. It cleanses the water and makes it potable. In Kathotia village of this valley, the Bharia tribe use Tulasi leaves (Ocimum sanctum), Jamun bark (Syzygium cumini) and Arjun bark (Terminalia arjuna). This blend is put inside a pot filled with contaminated water. The water is filtered after 24 hours with the help of a cotton cloth. This water is said to be excellent for curing intestinal problems and is safe for drinking use. The tribal women in this region use Copper or Brass pots to bring and store water. This is because unlike plastic, they do not breed bacteria.

In a country like India, millions of the people still lack access to dirt free drinking water and are affected by water borne disorders which cause malnutrition, increase the rate of infant mortality and other diseases. Cost-effective and tailor made water treatment traditional knowledge would pave the way to ensure that these habitations have access to genuinely potable water.