Hitis, traditional stone spouts commonly known as dhunge-dhara, which have been recognized as historical monuments by the government, might soon be found only in the annals of history. They have a history of hundreds of years, and were an important source of clean water in the past.
But now they are rapidly disappearing from Kathmandu Valley. While the city itself is facing immense scarcity of water, the state and stakeholders’ reluctance at restoring and saving these natural sources of water is surprising. [break]
Stone spouts were introduced during the Lichhavi period, between 5th and 7th century AD. They were then known as “Kirti”, which means merit, as anyone who built the tap was believed to earn blessings. That was because the spouts were an essential resource for the community. The dhunge-dhara at Sundhara commissioned by Queen Tripurasundari, the wife of King Rana Bahadur Shah, in 1828, was the last hiti to be built in Kathmandu.
Mangaldhara or Mangahiti of Patan is known to be the oldest stone spout in the valley, believed to be constructed in 570 AD by Bhairavi, daughter of Lichhavi king Mandev. In late 1800s, after Rana rulers introduced modern pipe line water supply system, the construction of hitis came to an end. Yet, the existing dhunge-dharas were dependable sources of clean water till the 1980s.
Although there is no exact record of the number of stone spouts in Kathmandu Valley, in recent years studies have been conducted to find out the condition of existing hitis. The results of these studies point to the genuine need for their proper conservation and restoration. A census conducted by Forum for Water and Sanitation in 2006 had reported that there are 165 stone spouts in Kathmandu, 61 in Lalitpur, 87 in Bhaktapur, 65 in Madhyapur Thimi, and 11 in Kirtipur.
Among them, 33 spouts in Kathmandu, seven in Lalitpur, three in Madhyapur Thimi and one each in Kirtipur and Bhaktapur have already disappeared. Likewise, of the total stone spouts, 34 in Kathmandu, 18 in Bhaktapur, nine in Madhyapur, and seven in Lalitpur were declared to be under threat. However, 35 spouts in Bhaktapur, six in Madhyapur Thimi and two in Kathmandu were revamped and linked with modern water supply lines.
Only 96 spouts in Kathmandu, 47 each in Lalitpur and Madhyapur, 33 in Bhaktapur and 10 in Kirtipur municipalities were functioning naturally. A recent census by Small Earth Nepal (SEN) reported that out of 68 stone spouts in Lalitpur, only 43 still existed, and among these, only 16 were in use.
Although there are no recent updates on the situation of these spouts in other districts, we have good reason to assume that the statistics are similar. Many of these are on the verge of disappearance, with water scarcely trickling down the historical taps.
Stone spouts depend on ground aquifers as their source of water. Unfortunately, with the level of water below ground depleting, the existence of hitis is at stake. There are several reasons behind the depletion of groundwater. With rapid and unplanned urbanization, haphazard and extensive extraction of groundwater through construction of wells is one of the major causes.
Similarly, natural aquifers have dried up due to the mushrooming buildings and concrete structures which impede the recharge of ground water. Moreover, many of the stone spout areas have been encroached and severely damaged.
As mentioned earlier, the government has already declared stone spouts “historical monuments” of Nepal. It had even passed a 12-point declaration on stone spout conservation in the year 2007. The declaration includes identifying the water sources of stone spouts; managing the water sources; formulating conservation policies, details and mapping of spouts; declaring them national heritage; allocating budget; carrying out researches; and making laws to check the use of groundwater.
To address the issues mentioned in this declaration and to prepare an action plan to make the conservation of stone spouts effective, a separate task force was formed in 2010. The action plan may have been prepared, but there are no signs of its implementation yet.
Similarly, according to Local Self Governance Act 1997, Village Development Committees (VDCs), municipalities and District Development Offices (DDOs) are responsible for preserving traditional and historical monuments.
The act also directs the authorities to deny permission to construct any physical structures on water pipelines of stone spouts. But the act has not been sufficient to regulate construction of buildings and concrete structures around spouts and encroachment of surrounding areas.
Though Nepal also has a Historical Monument Conservation Act, unfortunately, it does not mention stone spouts. This is one more reason behind the authorities’ reluctance in conserving stone spots. Local communities and youths have shown interest in some areas, but very few hitis have actually been renovated and restored.
There are two major steps for the conservation of hitis.
First of all, strict action must be taken to control the increasingly haphazard construction of buildings and encroachment of areas around hitis in order to provide adequate space for underground aquifers to recharge over a time period. Second, rules and regulations regarding the use of land and the extraction of ground water must be implemented to control over-extraction of groundwater which results in the drying of stone spouts.
The author writes on environmental and climate change issues
prayash.koirala@gmail.com
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