Open Wells in Parappana Agrahara

The apartments are fast approaching

As part of the Aquifer Mapping Project we have been on the lookout for Open Wells near Sarjapura Road. The idea is that the depth of the well as well as the rock profile at the depth would indicate to us if the area had a healthy aquifer that was capable of fulfilling the water demands of the people and livestock at the time when the wells used to yield water.

Since these wells are on no maps, we have to go looking around for them. The standard response from people in any place that we go to is that there are no  "Open Wells" or that the "Open Wells have been filled up and closed". This time was no different. However with some persistence we heard of  and came across wells that belonged to Prabhu Reddy in which people had committed suicide

Stonework

And this is what we found on our trip to Parappana Agrahara (less than a 5 minute drive from Haralur Road). 5 Open Wells.

1. Well 1:  8m in diameter and 15m deep. Some water at the bottom
2. Well 2:  Cuboid shaped well. From outside it looks like a well. Completely hidden with grass, bushes but recognisable by a pulley like structure on top. 
3. Well 3:  8m in diameter and 15m deep. No water. But borewell at the bottom from where water is pumped
4. Well 4: 5.5m is diameter and 15m deep. Used as a garbage dump
5. Well 5: This wells looks like a pond and we would have totally missed it and perhaps fallen into it if we had not seen the old pump house right next to the well. This well needs further looking into

Yielding borewell at the bottom of the well

Dry

Dump Well

Is this a well or a pond ? 

The erstwhile pumphouse - that seems to
suggest that this is a well. Why is it so full ? 

Well covered with dense vegetation

The beam to hold the pulley